STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) - A wheel tax was approved by Portage County Supervisors on Tuesday night by a vote of 19-4.
Residents in Portage County will pay an additional $25 when they register a car or small truck. It will bring the total cost to $100 annually.
The wheel tax will take effect March 1, 2019. It will bring in about $1.5-million in new revenue for highway maintenance.
The county had been facing a $3 million shortfall in its highway budget. Highway Commissioner Nathan Check said the county will either find additional sources of revenue or will cut the highway program further. "It has to deal with how much we spend on improving and maintaining our roads it’s not about how many semi-trucks go through the roads,” Check said. If the wheel tax failed things like winter maintenance would have been scaled back, saying that the level of service during winter storms would have been reduced.
The wheel tax will sunset after five years, although it could be extended by the county board. The amount will also be reviewed annually as part of the budget process.
Portage County becomes the 10th county in the state to enact a wheel tax, joining neighboring Lincoln and Marathon counties. Additionally, there are 20 municipalities that have wheel taxes, including Milwaukee and Appleton. Green Bay has a new wheel tax that starts with vehicles registered in 2019.
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