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A committee of community residents representing
all areas of Clackamas County will be established to advise
transportation staff and report to the Board of County
Commissioners on using revenue from a new countywide vehicle
registration fee (VRF) approved Feb. 21.
The $30 per year VRF was approved by the County
Board after decades of discussion about the need for
transportation funds, as well as extensive public outreach in
2018, conversations with cities and the business community, and
two public hearings. The ordinance establishing the VRF will
go into effect in 90 days, but collection is not likely to begin
until winter 2019-20.
Director of Transportation & Development Dan
Johnson said, “We’re really excited about the chance to work
closely with community members to identify and prioritize needed
capital projects in unincorporated areas throughout the
county.” Details about the committee will be available soon.
By state law, 40 percent of the VRF revenue will
go to cities in the county. Of the remaining 60 percent, which
normally would all go to the county, 10 percent will be allocated
to a strategic investment fund for county and city
multi-jurisdictional projects, and the remaining 50 percent will
go to the county for its 1,400 miles of roads.
The county will spend its portion of the funds –
about $5.5 million per year – as follows:
· $500,000
– safety improvements
· $1
million – maintenance of local roads (generally those roads that
people drive on from their home to a more major road)
· $3.5-4
million – capital construction to provide congestion relief
The VRF will apply to cars, pick-up trucks, vans
and other passenger vehicles registered in Clackamas
County. The fee for motorcycles will be $15 per year.
In accordance with state law, vehicles exempt from
the fee include: registered farm vehicles; travel trailers,
campers and motor homes; heavy trucks (which pay state
weight-mile taxes); snowmobiles and Class I all-terrain vehicles;
fixed-load vehicles; vehicles registered to disabled veterans or
former prisoners of war; vehicles registered as antique vehicles
or as vehicles of special interest, and government-owned or
operated vehicles.
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