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Councilors present Proposal 192 to raise vehicle surtax and wheel tax to fund city roads
Summary
Councilors held an informational session on Proposal 192, which would raise a county surtax to $100 (about an $80 average increase per resident) and increase heavy-vehicle wheel tax rates to generate roughly $71 million countywide and qualify for a $50 million state match; the full council vote is set for July 6.
Councilor Andy Nelson, leading the presentation, said Proposal 192 is one tool in a larger $856 million infrastructure plan intended to create permanent, predictable funding for roads and related transportation infrastructure. "If this proposal is not successful, we would be forced to look at the budget even deeper and make difficult trade offs with basic services and other community priorities," Nelson said, framing the measure as a response to long-term maintenance and borrowing risks.
Nelson described how the proposal would change local vehicle fees to flat rates: a surtax rising to $100 (characterized in the presentation as an average $80 net increase for typical residents) and substantially higher fees for heavy vehicle classes (an example figure cited was $2,240 for certain heavy classes). Staff estimated the ordinance would generate about $71 million in additional county revenue (about $65 million from the surtax and $5.9 million from the wheel tax) and noted that excluded cities and towns in Marion County would receive proportional distributions automatically. The presenter emphasized that the revenue is restricted by state law for transportation uses and that the measure is intended to secure a state transfer tied to a certified local match.
