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Washoe County RTC supports fuel-tax indexing, warns of plateauing revenue and highlights access needs to Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center
Summary
The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County told the Senate committee that fuel tax indexing has funded major work since 2010 but revenue is plateauing because of fuel efficiency and EVs; the RTC highlighted the need for new access to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center and support for continued indexing in Southern Nevada.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County told the Senate Committee on Growth and Infrastructure that the county's fuel-tax indexing has produced sustained roadway investment but that the revenue source is flattening and will not keep pace with rising demand and new vehicle technologies.
"Indexing went into effect in January 2010," said Dale Keller, deputy executive director of the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, describing statutory and ballot-history under NRS 373.066. Keller said indexing and related policy changes have generated more than $1.23 billion in fuel-tax collections since 2010, with roughly 58 percent of that total attributed to indexing.
Keller told senators that the funding benefit is now plateauing because vehicles are more fuel-efficient and electric and hybrid vehicles reduce gas tax receipts while vehicle-miles-traveled and demand continue to rise. The Washoe RTC said it supports Southern Nevada's efforts to extend fuel revenue indexing and urged the Legislature to consider statewide, equitable approaches to long-term transportation funding, including how any revenues collected from alternative-fuel vehicles would be distributed across counties.
Keller also outlined major northern Nevada priorities, including improved access to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center (TRIC), where he said more than 15,000 jobs exist today and 35,000–50,000 jobs are anticipated in future buildout scenarios. Keller said the RTC is studying northern and southern connector routes and potential commuter rail on existing Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way and is exploring funding options including grants, public-private partnerships and tolling.
The RTC described local revenue composition for FY25 (about $215 million in revenue) and said roughly 30 percent of expenditures are for transit operations, 30 percent for roadway projects and 30 percent for pavement preservation and multimodal work. Keller said Washoe continues to monitor road-safety interventions such as school-zone and construction-zone cameras.
Committee members thanked the RTC for the presentation and asked follow-up questions about coordination with NDOT and municipal partners on major corridors such as Pyramid Highway and on funding options for large employer travel demand.
The presentation was informational; no legislative action or committee vote was recorded in the transcript segment.
