The Washington County Board of Commissioners scheduled a public hearing on May 11th for June 1st for public comment on an update to the county’s transportation, use, and excise taxes.
The hearing will take place during the regular session of the county board in the government center boardroom at 14949 N. 62nd St. N., Stillwater. The ability to virtually attend the residents who wish to do so will be provided prior to the meeting.
The board examined the proposal at a workshop on April 13th. The board had already examined the proposal for almost a year in 2019, but suspended the discussion as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in March 2020.
Commonly known as local option sales tax, local governments can impose sales and use taxes of up to 0.5% and vehicle consumption tax of up to $ 20 per vehicle. Washington County currently has a sales and use tax of 0.25% and an automobile excise tax of $ 20.
Fifty-one other counties in the state have similar taxes. The county board must hold a public hearing to raise the tax.
The income generated by the tax can be used for roads or bridges, and for capital and operating costs of transit projects. The board has reviewed a list of projects that would benefit from the increased sales tax.
If the tax were increased, it would be expected to raise $ 21 million in 2022, as opposed to the $ 10.8 million the tax raised in 2020.
Previously, the county was part of the Counties Transit Improvement Board, which introduced a sales and use tax of 0.25% and an excise tax of $ 20 per vehicle.
That body was disbanded in 2017, and Washington County retained taxes and approved the use of the funds raised.
Government funding for transportation is not keeping pace with the cost of building roads and bridges, and revenues from vehicle lease tax and bicycle tax are not increasing. As Washington County’s population grows, the county has a responsibility to widen highways to accommodate that growth and rebuild transportation hubs to improve safety for the traveling public. General road maintenance is also falling behind, and the road surface on county roads is deteriorating faster than there are resources to repair. Other road projects in the county have lagged.