Lorain County engineers ask commissioners to enact $5 vehicle registration fee to fund road and bridge projects

Sean (engineer’s office presenter) and Bob Klyber of the Lorain County Engineer’s Office told the Lorain County Board of Commissioners at a public hearing on April 22 that they are requesting enactment of a $5 permissive vehicle registration fee (referenced in the presentation as 450424) to pay for planning, construction and capital repairs on county roads and bridges.

The engineers estimate the fee would bring in a little more than $1.3 million and said that projection would close, or substantially reduce, a forecasted county capital shortfall that could reach about $1.1 million by 2028. “What exactly is that? That’s a $5 fee that we are requesting the commissioners enact,” Sean said during his presentation. He told commissioners the money would be used for capital projects, not salaries.

Why it matters: Lorain County officials said rising construction and maintenance costs and the need for local matching funds to secure federal grants make the additional revenue necessary to keep planned projects on schedule. The presenter noted Lorain County is the ninth-most populous county in Ohio and, among similarly sized counties, is one of the few without this permissive fee currently enacted.

What the county is proposing and limits: The engineer’s office asked commissioners to enact the county-only permissive fee identified as 450424. Staff said state rules allow counties, municipalities and townships to adopt various permissive registration fees but that this specific fee authority is available only to counties and would apply to all vehicle registrations in the county, including residents of cities and villages. The presenter and county staff referenced guidance from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) indicating a resident could pay up to six permissive registration fees in total but that the county is asking to enact only one.

Exemptions and restrictions: County staff said the proposed county resolution was drafted to restrict use of fee proceeds to capital projects (planning and construction) so the funds could not be used for staff salaries. The presenter also said the county sought an exemption for noncommercial trailers weighing 1,000 pounds or less and had sent draft language to the prosecutor’s office to implement that exemption under the Ohio Revised Code. “We did include that. … it does allow us to exempt trailers less than a 1000 lbs gross weight,” the presenter said.

Public comment and local perspective: Two members of the public spoke in favor. Jim Malik, who identified his address as 572 Fieldstone Drive in Amherst Township and said he had a long career in a city engineer’s office, urged action and described local roadways in prolonged disrepair: “If you want to see what a lack of funding looks like, drive down my street,” Malik said. Neil Lynch, an Amherst Township trustee, described township experience with a failed local road levy and urged commissioners to adopt the permissive fee, saying the $5 charge equates to a fraction of annual fuel costs for most drivers. Lynch also asked that small trailers and farm implements be exempted.

Next steps and timing: County staff told commissioners the prosecutor’s office must sign off on final language and that, to take effect January 2026, the fee ordinance must be submitted to the state by early July (staff cited July 1 as the relevant deadline). Commissioners did not vote on the fee at the hearing; instead, they agreed to return with a formal agenda item later in May. A county staff member said the board would likely announce a May date (staff suggested May 6) for the public vote after confirming deadlines and final language with the prosecutor’s office.

Related items raised at the hearing: Commissioners and staff briefly discussed the remaining county hotel/motel (TB) tax collections and confirmed the last scheduled collection year is 2026; staff noted the board already suspended the tax for 2025 and would need to act once more if they wanted to suspend again before it expires.

Formal procedural action: At the close of the public hearing the commissioners approved a motion to close the hearing. The motion passed on a voice/roll call with the three commissioners present recorded as voting yes. No final action was taken on the permissive fee itself.

Ending: County staff will prepare final resolution language for prosecutor review and return to the commissioners in public session for a formal vote; if approved and filed with the state by the stated July deadline, the fee would begin on registrations in January 2026.