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Riley County treasurer outlines $5 motor-vehicle transaction fee and revenue projections
Summary
Treasurer Shiloh Hager said a newly authorized $5 county transaction fee would raise motor vehicle revenues substantially in 2027; she projected revenues of $570,000 and described a temporary option to raise the fee to $10 (sunsetted) to close shortfalls.
Riley County Treasurer Shiloh Hager told commissioners May 7 that the legislature-authorized $5 county transaction fee for motor vehicle transactions will materially increase motor vehicle revenues and transfers to the general fund.
Hager projected $570,000 in motor vehicle revenues for 2027 under the $5 fee compared with approximately $360,000 budgeted for 2026. "That is using the additional $5 transaction fee that the legislature has allowed," Hager said, adding that the county's transfer back to the general fund would rise accordingly.
Hager explained commissioners have the authority for a temporary increase (for calendar years 2027'29) of up to an additional $5 for a total of $10, which would be sunsetted. She offered modeled scenarios: with $5 the projected revenues were $632,000 in a scenario without other changes; increasing to $10 could erase a projected shortfall and produce an estimated $832,000. Hager cautioned those figures did not include potential cost-of-living adjustments.
She recommended commissioners consider the short-term options carefully because the additional fee would be temporary and the fund must ultimately be sustainable. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about timing, the fee's calendar-year application, and how transfers would be reflected in the county budget.
Next steps: No final decision was made; Hager said she would provide figures and further details to inform commissioners as they finalize revenue and transfer decisions for 2027.
