County looking to increase vehicle registration fee by $10

CAMBRIDGE – The Guernsey County commissioners recently held a public hearings in regards to a proposed license plate tax increase for county residents. A second public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, at the County Administration building, 627 Wheeling Ave.

The proposed increase is an additional $10 per vehicle. The increase would provide additional funding of $470,000 for road and bridge maintenance throughout the county. Ohio Revised Code Sections 4504.16 and 4504.24 allow a county board of commissioners to increase the vehicle registration permissive tax, better known simply as the permissive tax, by $5.

The hearings are required by law for the Guernsey County Commissioners to consider the increase per the Ohio Revised Code. The increase is to provide additional funding for maintenance and repairs to county roads and bridges. A portion of the money will go to townships based on the number of vehicle registrations.

According to Guernsey County Engineer Paul Sherry, county roads and bridges are in a constant state of depreciation and the cost of the repairs has increased significantly over the years. The county has 315 bridges and 425 miles of roadway.

Commissioners in neighboring Coshocton County recently voted for a $10 permissive tax increase, while Muskingum County has increased its fee by $15.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: County looking to increase vehicle registration fee by $10