Richland council says ‘yes’ to new $20 car tab fee

Richland residents begin paying a new $20 vehicle registration fee in January.

The Richland City Council, acting as the city’s Transportation Benefit District board, unanimously voted to levy the new fee in a special session Tuesday.

The new fee is expected to generate $850,000 annually. It will support annual debt payments of about $340,000 on a $4 million bond the city plans to issue to complete a $38 million funding package for the Duportail Bridge. The remaining $510,000 will augment the $1.2 million Richland spends on pavement maintenance.

The council has committed to not raising the fee in the future, though state law allows it to do so.

The fee passed on a 7-0 vote with Mayor Bob Thompson and Council Members Terry Christensen, Brad Anderson, Dori Luzzo Gilmour, Phillip Lemley, Sandra Kent and David Rose all voting yes.

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 7:50 PM with the headline "Richland council says ‘yes’ to new $20 car tab fee."