By Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS – Gas taxes may not go up, but the new state transportation budget could require Ohio drivers to pay more to get a new driver’s license or license plates.
READ MORE: In The Columbus Dispatch
Service fees paid to deputy registrars would rise from $3.50 to $5.25 as part of the changes House Republicans made Tuesday to Gov. John Kasich’s two-year, $7.8 billion transportation budget, which includes $5.6 billion for highways and $1.2 billion for the Department of Public Safety.
The changes also would permit county commissioners to levy a new $5 license plate fee. Money collected through the increase would be used to pay for transportation projects.
House Republicans also rejected Kasich’s proposal to change when motor fuel taxes are collected, after fuel suppliers and convenience store owners sharply criticized the shift. This comes as local officials continue to warn that transportation infrastructure needs continue to far outstrip available funding.
Deputy registrars, which operate in Ohio as independent businesses, have not seen a fee increase since 2004, when the rate rose 25 cents to the current $3.50.
The Ohio Deputy Registrars’ Association asked lawmakers to raise the fee to $5.50 immediately, plus another $1 increase phased in starting in 2020. This would “ensure that Ohio’s deputy registrar system is viable,” Aldo Filippelli, president of the association, told lawmakers.
House Republicans appear ready to give it part of what it wants.
Filippelli said the expansion of multi-year vehicle registrations has cut into registrar revenue, as has the acceptance of credit cards, which cut fees collected from ATMs located at the agencies.
Allowing counties to impose a $5 annual license tax per vehicle came from a proposal by the County Engineers Association of Ohio, which told lawmakers they are responsible for 26,859 bridges and 29,088 miles of roads. Engineers cannot keep up with the costs of maintenance and repairs, with $450 million in current revenue and $1.12 billion in needs, said Chris Bauserman, Delaware County engineer and president of the association.