Ohio public safety director warns highway patrol faces crisis without registration, title fee increases

Ohio’s Department of Public Safety told the House Public Safety Committee on Feb. 12 that a decades-old funding structure has left the Ohio State Highway Patrol facing a looming budget “cliff” and that two modest fee increases included in the state operating budget (House Bill 96) are intended to prevent cuts to trooper services and specialized units.

Director Andy Wilson, head of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, told the panel that the patrol has been funded primarily by vehicle-related fees since a 2003 budget change and that those fees have not been adjusted for inflation. “If we do not address our looming funding crisis for the patrol in this budget, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will look very different at the end of this biennium than it does today, and that difference will put Ohio citizens in danger,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the budget proposal includes a $10 increase in the motor-vehicle registration fee and a $3 increase in the vehicle title fee. He stated the proposal includes language that would restrict the registration-fee increase “so that every dollar associated with this fee increase … goes directly to the highway patrol” and not to other Department of Public Safety operations.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed witnesses on how officials arrived at the proposed fee amounts and whether the increases will actually stabilize patrol finances. Representative Gambari expressed skepticism about repeated short-term funding patches and asked what protections ensure the new dollars will remain dedicated to patrol operations. The director responded that the budget language explicitly earmarks the registration increase for patrol operations and that the proposed package aims to provide a multi‑year solution, projecting roughly a 10–12 year horizon before another adjustment would be required.

Patrol role and risks: Colonel Charles Jones, superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, described recent operations and the breadth of the patrol’s work beyond traffic enforcement — from aviation support and drug interdiction to search-and-rescue and large-event security. Jones said the patrol conducted more than 60 targeted operations in 2024, made hundreds of felony arrests, and removed illegal firearms and large quantities of drugs from circulation.

Wilson and Jones emphasized mutual support to local agencies. Wilson said the patrol’s specialized response teams and aviation assets reduce risk during pursuits and incidents and free local officers to handle violent-crime investigations. He warned that funding shortfalls would force reductions in those services and in units such as aviation and special response teams.

Testimony example: Wilson recounted a November 2024 hostage incident in Jefferson County in which a trooper from the patrol’s special response team incapacitated a suspect and, Wilson said, “he saved that little girl’s life.” The director used the example to illustrate the public-safety value of maintaining specialized, well-trained troopers and teams.

Other budget priorities discussed: While the funding for the highway patrol was the centerpiece of testimony, Wilson outlined other Department of Public Safety priorities in the HB 96 testimony: continued support for the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC), expansion of the Ohio School Safety Center, maintenance of a low average BMV wait time (12 minutes statewide in 2024), a $1,000,000 proposed state hazard mitigation program, and continued grant support through the Office of Criminal Justice Services (he cited $250,000,000 in grants awarded in the prior biennium). He also described proposals to expand the Ohio Investigative Unit’s enforcement role for adult‑use marijuana regulations and to provide grants to schools to expand low-cost driver’s education.

Questions from lawmakers: Committee members asked about alternatives to fee increases, equity impacts of registration and title fees (including concerns from electric-vehicle owners and people who struggle to pay registration), how the department would protect earmarked funds, and whether costs or services could be shifted among DPS divisions. Wilson and Jones said some internal trades would harm customer-facing services such as the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and that fee increases were the most viable durable solution.

Costs and lab‑supported programs: Witnesses also described pilot programs that would involve state-run lab testing (an oral-fluid impaired-driving pilot the patrol began in 2024) and training investments such as drug-recognition expert classes and scenario-based “Green Labs.” The patrol said it currently provides laboratory testing and other supports to local agencies at no per-sample charge and that the state lab operation carries costs that the department is prepared to absorb for participating local agencies.

Formal action during the meeting: The committee approved the minutes of its Feb. 12, 2025 meeting; members had not yet taken any final votes on HB 96.

What’s next: No formal budget votes were taken in committee during this hearing. Committee members signaled deep interest and many follow-up questions, and several asked the department for a more detailed fiscal breakdown. Wilson said department staff would provide additional budget detail to members on request.