UNION COUNTY – Union County residents are looking at an additional fee when registering vehicles. It’ll be considered and then voted on during next Tuesday’s board meeting by the Union County Commissioners. The fee would come from an ordinance authorizing PennDOT to access an additional $5 registration fee on most vehicles registered in Union County. The fee would be added to the registration application within 90 days of passage. That would have a person registering their vehicle for a two-year period pay an additional $2.50 per year.
Commissioner John Showers says with money piling up for bridge repairs, PennDOT gave the county an offer it couldn’t refuse, “PennDOT is offering an additional $2 million package to Union County and all counties across the commonwealth to do bridge and road reconstruction by using a $5 fee as a match.”
The county is currently facing $12 to $14 million in that bridge repair and replacement needs. After deciding not to impose this tax several years ago, Showers says a lot of consideration has gone into the decision.
He says the county basically has no choice, “We’ve been considering it at work sessions, talking about it, talking with our engineers, and quite frankly, PennDOT controls other sources of road reconstruction money, so like state money for Federal money. We see the hand writing on the wall.”
Tuesday’s meeting is at 2 p.m. at the Union County Government Center, located at 155 North 15th Street in Lewisburg. (Matt Catrillo)