ACHD to put vehicle registration fee question before voters this November
Ada County voters will have a chance to vote on a ballot item this November that would keep a current fee schedule the same.
The Ada County Highway District Board of Commissioners approved ballot language that, with voter approval, would preserve the highway district’s current vehicle registration fees through 2046.
With the approval of the Ada County Clerk’s office, the item will appear on the November 3 ballot.
A 35-year history
ACHD Secretary of the Board Executive Officer Stacey Spencer told the commission at a July 8 workshop that the district uses the fees collected to pay for county transportation infrastructure improvements.
An informational video created by the district and shared at the workshop highlighted a range of projects funded by the fee collection, from congestion alleviation with a “dogbone” shaped roundabout at Hill Rd., 36th St., and Catalpa Dr.; to the improved Linder Rd. overpass; and emergency repair work to the Eckert Rd. bridge.
Spencer said that voters first approved having the fee, which vehicle owners pay in addition to state vehicle registration fees, in 1990. At the time, the fees provided about $2.4 million in revenue to the agency. In 2008, voters approved an increase in the fees and to keep the same schedule through 2028. The same fee structure has been in place since. Spencer said that the district anticipates $14 million in revenue from the fees in fiscal year 2027.
With set fees, the rise in revenues over time comes from an increase in vehicles in the county, Spencer said.
The current fee schedule — which the district is asking voters to approve keeping the same through 2046 — is as follows:
- Vehicles over seven years old: $24
- Vehicles between three and seven years old: $36
- Vehicles one to two years old: $40
- Motor vehicles primarily used for hire and each school bus: $16.00
- Motorcycles and terrain vehicles: $8.00
The ballot item will appear on every Ada County voter’s ballot. It needs 50% plus one vote to pass.
Spencer said that even if voters approve the measure, the commission still has the ability to bring another measure before voters to adjust the fee prior to 2046.
An ‘essential’ funding stream
ACHD Commission Vice President Alexis Pickering said the fees provide a key funding source at a time when the state legislature has reduced funding directed to the agency.
“It’s an essential funding piece of our overall pie, and as we continue to grow and see strains … every funding stream really matters,” Pickering said. “Especially considering we’ve had less and less support from our state.”