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Lawmaker outlines narrow win for Oregon transportation package; council told revenue and referral remain uncertain
Summary
State representative Doug Riggs told West Linn council the special session produced a slimmed transportation package that raises the gas tax and registration fees, increases a payroll levy that will sunset after two years, and removes most tolling authority — but opponents plan a ballot referral and ODOT still must calculate city-level revenue estimates.
Doug Riggs, who represents West Linn in Salem, briefed the council on a recent special legislative session and a narrowly passed transportation package.
Riggs described the bill as a slimmer version of earlier proposals and said it "does increase the gas tax by 6¢," adds registration and other fees, and adjusts how electric vehicles contribute to the system. He also warned that the package contains a small payroll tax provision that "sunsets after 2 years," and that lawmakers successfully removed broad tolling authority for ODOT except for the Columbia Crossing.
Riggs emphasized the vote was narrow and that political fallout followed: he described one coastal representative switching party affiliation after voting for the bill and others announcing different plans. He also said opponents are expected to pursue a ballot referral; if they gather sufficient valid signatures (the legal threshold is roughly in the 78,000–80,000 range), parts of the package could be delayed or altered, leaving timing and revenue flow uncertain for municipalities.
Councilors pressed for more specific revenue estimates for West Linn. Riggs said ODOT is still producing calculations and that whether the state begins implementing parts of the package while referral petitions are gathered could change what local governments receive. "We have to wait and see what the referral that's submitted to the secretary of state actually requests as far as repeal," he said.
The council asked staff to monitor ODOT analyses and potential impacts to local road and transit funding as the referral and signature-gathering process unfolds.
