WAYNE COUNTY, Ohio — Wayne County is proposing a $5 permissive license plate tax to help repair area roads.
Wayne County drivers would pay an extra $5 whenever they register their vehicles.
The county said the tax would generate about $700,000 annually, with each dollar going towards the purpose of repairing area roads.
News 5 spoke with Wayne County Engineer Scott Miller.
He said the majority of Wayne County's roads need repair.
With 499 miles of road, the county ranks second in the state for the most roads; 81 miles of those roads were rated 50% when the county last inspected them. That rating indicates that deep cracks are forming on the roads, and the base is deteriorating.
Funding is also a concern with the engineer's office. Right now, the office relies solely on funding from the gas tax and the current license plate tax. The engineer's office does not receive funding from any property taxes.
Any money the office receives is meant to cover everything from road repairs to snow removal. Inflation of common materials hasn't helped the county's budget either.
"Realistically, we can't keep up without some sort of a major change in the funding," Miller said. "This will help us definitely a little bit. People are gonna see some major improvements on their roads."
Miller said the $700,000 would pave about six to six and a half miles every year.
It would take the engineer's office about 10 to 12 years to repair all of the needed roads.
Before the tax can be approved, the Wayne County Commissioners will hold two public meetings to discuss the tax.
The first will be on Wednesday after the commissioners' regular meeting at 9 a.m.
Another meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 6.
If the tax passes, it would go into effect on July 1, 2027.
