Engineer wants $5 more for car licenses

gets $3.50 and so-called permissive local taxes vary between $15 or $20 depending on the municipality or township where the owner lives, according to the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles website. Columbus residents pay $20, so the current fees for renewing a car ares $58 for city residents. The extra $5 county fee would raise that to $63. Costs are higher for vehicle registration renewals for pickup trucks, RVs and other vehicles, some based on weight.

The money is particularly needed now, Robertson said, because his office, which received $16 million from the Ohio Public Works Commission in 2012, will receive only $1 million this year.

Also, Robertson said that while none of Franklin County’s 357 bridges are in danger of failure and the vast majority are in good or better condition, 47 are in fair or poor condition and might need work to extend their use.

“It’s better to maintain as we go than replace later,” Robertson said.

Spanning the Main Street bridge over the Scioto River cost $70 million, Robertson said.

Robertson’s request also comes, he said, as his office is spending more on snow and ice removal and on stone and concrete, which have almost doubled in price since 2013.

“Revenue is decreasing. Costs are increasing,” Robertson said.

Already, Ohio’s Motor Vehicle License tax provides $25 million of the engineer’s $42 million annual budget. Ohio lawmakers authorized the vehicle registration fee increase in 2017 for counties that want to implement it. So far, five counties — Hamilton, Montgomery, Geauga, Summit and Cuyahoga — have implemented it.

“We’re maxed out,” Robertson said. The proposed $5 fee increase “is substantial, but it doesn’t solve the (funding) problem. We also need to look at other sources of revenue.”

If commissioners approve it, the fee will take effect at the beginning of next year.

Commissioners John O’Grady and Kevin Boyce said Thursday they needed more information about the proposal. Commissioner Marilyn Brown supports it.

Robertson said the commissioners “were okay with it” when he told them about plans for the increase.

Robertson is giving four public presentations on the proposed fee increase. Two are at the commissioners meetings at 9 a.m. April 10 and 17. Two are from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at engineer buildings: April 2 at 4444 Fisher Road, the other April 4 at 4801 Hendron Road.