Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wheel Tax Roads Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County council begins public discussion of wheel tax options to boost road funding
Summary
Councilmembers opened a detailed discussion about whether to adopt a wheel tax (vehicle excise surtax) to qualify for additional Community Crossings and other state funds; no vote was taken and staff will return with options and fiscal analysis.
Council members discussed whether DeKalb County should adopt a wheel tax to raise recurring revenue for road and bridge work and to qualify for a second-tier Community Crossings distribution from the state.
Councilman Bill Van White and other council members outlined how the wheel tax works in tandem with an excise surtax on smaller vehicles and noted the county must adopt a rate and follow a public hearing schedule to enact the tax by the statutory deadlines. The discussion covered rate ranges (small vehicles roughly $7.50–$50 and larger vehicles $5–$80 under state law, per the packet distributed to council) and options for exemptions or different rates for vehicle classes such as farm trucks.
Council members reviewed a December fiscal worksheet showing that, of DeKalb’s roughly 700 miles of roads, 400 miles are paved and 51.2 miles (about 12% of paved roads at the time of that report) had a Pacer rating of 4 or less; staff estimates to bring identified capital projects to a mid-range condition exceeded tens of millions of dollars. The packet also included per-mile estimates (chip seal and asphalt conversion) and examples of other counties’ policies on gravel-to-pavement conversions.
Members emphasized process and next steps: staff and outside consultants (LTAP/Purdue contacts) were asked to return with 3–4 options showing revenue at minimum, mid and maximum rates, a draft public hearing schedule and a fiscal plan for 5- and 10-year scenarios. No formal motion to adopt a wheel tax was taken at the May 14 meeting; the item was discussed for future action. Councilmembers also noted that town and city shares must be considered if a countywide wheel tax is adopted.
