 |
School district throws out bid
Wu town hall a lively discussion of
nation's ills
Championship barbecuing returns
Legislators
hopeful bill
will include bypass money |
A bill passed in thee
House,
and now before the Senate,
would raise fees to fix state's roads and bridges |
By Amy Grennell, Newberg
Graphic Reporter
Email Amy at agrennell@eaglenewspapers.com
|
A bill that would
increase registration and title fees for Oregon drivers may also help the local
Newberg-Dundee bypass effort.
But Rep. Donna Nelson (R-McMinnville), who represents Dundee and most of
Yamhill County, doesn’t trust those funds will be directed to the project.
Newberg’s Rep. Vic Backlund (R-Keizer) voted for the increases and believes the
bypass will receive funds derived from the bill.
The House approved House Bill 2041 with a final vote June 23 of 48-11. On
Wednesday the Senate voted to defer the bill until Monday.
The bill authorizes increased registration and title fees on vehicles to
raise $2.5 billion over the next 10 years to pay for bridge repair and highway
improvements.
Nelson was one of 11 dissenters on the bill. When asked about HB 2041 her
first words were, “I am sad.”
“I think it’s sad when we have to raise vehicle fees 30 to 55
(percent) ... or a 50 percent increase for commercial trucks ... I think that’s
wrong,” she said.
Car title fees would increase from $30 to $55 starting Jan. 1, 2004, and
registration fees would go from $30 to $54. Commercial truck registration fees would
increase 53 percent and weight-mile taxes would rise by almost 10 percent. The plan would
raise $113.6 million that will be bonded to improve the state’s bridges and roads
over the next decade, according to one of the bill’s sponsors, Alan Brown (R -
Newport).
Currently, Oregon has the lowest registration fees in the country.
Nelson said she was cautious this time around in regard to potential bypass
funding. In 2001 she said she was led to believe the bypass would be funded in two
separate bills, giving ODOT $500 million in funds through bonding. Because the bypass
didn’t receive any funding from the 2001 legislation, she said she doesn’t trust
this bill will be any different.
“There’s no accountability,” she said. “I met with the
chair of the OTC and I said, ‘how many people have been given jobs’ (for
construction projects) and ... (I) never got the answer.
“I will continue to ask that we get something from the OTC in writing
that speaks to funds we need for the Newberg-Dundee bypass. ...
“People change and there’s no accountability saying these are the
projects. The last money in Coos Bay — they have Colorado people here to work! ... I
say bologna when we put other states to work ...”
Nelson added that ODOT doesn’t have to adhere to the legislative intent
for the funds.
“I said as legislators we need the right to inspect what we
expect,” she said. “Every time we do it we find it isn’t being done.”
The bill also authorizes highway user tax bonds for bridges and to repair
highways, allocates funds to certain cities and counties, and establishes a Transportation
Reinvestment Fund to exist until Jan. 2, 2008.
During discussion on the House floor and in smaller groups, Backlund asked if
the measure’s list of highway improvement projects would include the Newberg-Dundee
bypass and was told that it would.
“I have had numerous meetings and met with different people including
the chair ... (and) the governor himself,” Backlund said. “The
two questions (are) does the House Bill 2041 include modernization funds and the answer is
always yes. There is a list of projects of statewide significance. Is the bypass on that
list? The answer is again yes. We have been assured by the ODOT (Oregon Department of
Transportation) director it will be funded.”
Whether the bypass is included in the mix of projects the bill would benefit
may depend, however, on a provision that projects must be “shovel ready.” The
bypass, although it has progressed significantly in the last five years, is years away
from construction.
Before Backlund was given the assurance some funds would go toward the bypass, he had
already decided to support the bill.
“I decided a long time ago we needed to repair bridges (in) cities and
counties statewide and so the question was how do you pay for it?” he said.
“When the fees came into the picture I thought they were reasonable. I didn’t
support a gas tax increase, and being involved in the Newberg-Dundee Transportation
Improvement Project, it would (likely benefit).”
The bill is also expected to create about 4,750 family-wage construction jobs
in Oregon, which legislators saw as a boon to a the state’s beleaguered economy.
The Oregon Transportation Commission’s five board members will decide
which projects are funded. The bypass has remained on their state list of eight projects
of importance. The question of how much money they will have to work with has yet to be
answered.
|
|
From July 5,
2003, Newberg Graphic
Click Here to Subscribe |
|
|
