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Committee trims pilot allocation to $192,000, directs mileage-fee revenue to Town Highways
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Summary
A committee working on a transportation "T" bill agreed in committee to reduce a $292,000 pilot allocation to $192,000, assign $100,000 to help balance the budget, and put any net revenue from a mileage-based user fee collected Jan. 1–June 30 into the Town Highways appropriation for fiscal 2028; the final draft will be printed and voted on at 5:15 p.m.
A committee considering a transportation "T" bill on Wednesday voted in committee to reduce a previously allocated $292,000 pilot fund to $192,000 and to direct net revenue from a mileage-based user fee toward town highway funding.
The Chair opened the session saying the group was "still working on the T bill" and noted the panel had been "finishing on the discussion about the mileage based user fees that will start to be collected on the 01/01/2027." A committee member moved to reconsider the earlier allocation and proposed reducing the pilot amount to $192,000, with $100,000 redirected to balance the committee's budget and the remainder earmarked for electric/transportation initiatives and town highways.
Why it matters: the committee's change reallocates near-term pilot money and establishes an intent that any net revenue from the new mileage-based user fee in state fiscal 2027 be used for Town Highways in fiscal 2028. That language, as read by staff, would make the FY27 mileage-fee receipts an addition "to any amounts appropriated pursuant to the requirements of that statute," rather than replacing statutory funding.
What was decided and who said it: a Committee member formally moved to "reconsider our actions on the use of the 292,000 pilot fund" and "drop that down to a 192," proposing $100,000 to balance the budget and the rest to be directed to town highway and related programs. The motion was seconded and members indicated approval by a thumbs-up vote when the Chair asked for agreement on the vice chair's motion. A staff member summarized the intended text: "all net revenues generated by the mileage based user fee in state fiscal year 2027 shall be allocated to the appropriation for general state aid to town highways in state fiscal year 2028."
Numbers and limits: the committee recorded the adjusted pilot allocation as $192,000 and the budget-balancing amount as $100,000. Committee discussion noted that the governor's original $10,000,000 figure in the budget had, in current amendments, become about $9.9 million; members said that amount had not yet passed and could change. Committee members also told staff that because the Joint Fiscal Office (appearing in the transcript as "JFO") could not precisely predict user-fee revenue, the legislative language should use general, intent-style direction for any receipts between Jan. 1 and June 30.
Next steps: staff will finish drafting the intent language, put the final draft on-screen for committee review, send the printed copy to editors, and reconvene to vote on the final version before the floor session. The committee scheduled a vote at 5:15 p.m. on the final T bill.
Context and limitations: the committee's action reflects an internal reallocation and the drafting of an intent statement; it does not by itself change statute or finalize appropriations. The transcript records committee-level agreement (thumbs-up) and plans to print and vote; a floor-level passage would require subsequent steps and is "not specified" in the record.
