WI Dane County Supervisors Call To Raise Vehicle Registration Fee An Additional $25 with Poll

Channel3000 ^ | August 10, 2004 | WISC TV3

[quietolong]

Bumpers May Boost The County Budget Dane County Supervisors Call To Raise Vehicle Registration Fee An Additional $25

POSTED: 11:54 pm CDT August 9, 2004
UPDATED: 11:07 am CDT August 10, 2004

MADISON, Wis. -- County officials have a plan to raise $7 million to add to the budget, but at drivers' expense.Some county board members have suggested raising the vehicle registration fee an additional $25. The current annual fee is $55.

Susan Dahm owns three cars. "If you have one car it's not so bad, but if you have multiple cars, which most families do, it's just going to up each one," said Dahm, who owns three cars. "I have teenagers who I'll have to pay more for each car."

Joseph Joyce believes the quick fix is a good idea. "I could deal with that if its only 20 bucks," said Joyce.

County officials expect this year's budget to include more than $2.5 million in cuts to human services alone.

Some believe the proposed sticker increase could help ease those cuts.

"If we don't pay for human services at the level we need to with people moving into the county, we're going to start seeing those cuts show up in the public safety system, for example, the jail and the courts," said County Supervisor Kyle Richmond.

Richmond supports the registration fee increase but says other measures to increase revenue should also be considered.

"We should charge people who are using the transportation system and make transport a source of revenue to pay for county transportation needs, such as the highway department or sheriff department," said Richmond.

But Supervisor Andy Olsen says the county needs to focus on more workable solutions.

"We need to find ways to control spending and delay some big ticket items until the following year," said Olsen. "We have to control costs. "We've got to look for cost savings across the county and we have to ask all departments to share in the pain as we have done over the previous year."

While Olsen does not support raising the registration fee, he is in favor of a variable registration fee.

A variable fee would mean owners of newer cars would be charged more than owners of older cars. A change to a variable fee would require a change from the Legislature.

The proposed registration fee increase will go before the board for a vote within the next two months.

Dane County currently has 350,000 registered cars and light-weight trucks.

[quietolong]

The RAT’S are at it again
Just raise it now they want more.
Just say NO!

[quietolong]

Choice Votes Percentage of 593 Votes
Yes 51 9%
No 477 80%
I Support A Variable Registration Fee 65 11%

[sharktrager]

"Susan Dahm owns three cars. "If you have one car it's not so bad, but if you have multiple cars, which most families do, it's just going to up each one," said Dahm, who owns three cars. "I have teenagers who I'll have to pay more for each car.""

Susan sure is a bright cookie. She's nailed it. if you have 3 cars, and they raise the fee, you will pay more than if you have one car.

[nuzman]

Maybe they could kill two birds with one stone .. raise revenue and control downtown by doing what London did:

Impose a toll on traffic that enters the Isthmus!

This way most of the tax would be paid by the lefties!

[Guillermo]

Funny how government swears up and down that they never have enough revenue...

How about cutting spending, for once!?