Washington County drivers will pay $60 per year to register their vehicles by 2032, double the current $30 fee, after the Board of Commissioners adopted Ordinance 917 on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
The increase hits every registered vehicle in the county, including those in Hillsboro. Cities receive 40% of fee revenue, distributed by population, while the county keeps 60%. At the full $60 rate, the county's share alone is projected to reach $20.6 million per year, up from roughly $10.3 million at the current fee, according to county agenda materials.
The fee phases in over five years in three $10 steps: to $40 in fiscal year (FY) 2027-28, $50 in FY 2029-30, and $60 in FY 2031-32. Revenue is constitutionally restricted to transportation uses within public road rights-of-way, including bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
Chair Kathryn Harrington presided over the meeting at the Charles D. Cameron Public Services Building in Hillsboro. Assistant County Administrator Ann Ober and Land Use & Transportation Director Stephen Roberts presented the item.
Why the increase
The fee hike grew out of the county's Resilient Transportation Funding Options project, which identified the vehicle registration fee as the quickest way to shore up road maintenance funding. General Fund transfers to the Major Streets Transportation Improvement Program (MSTIP) were cut 7% in FY 2023-24, 5% in FY 2024-25, and 17% in FY 2025-26. The county issued bonds in January 2024 to address a $90 million MSTIP funding gap.
Construction costs have not helped. Transportation construction costs remain roughly double what they were a decade ago and have risen as much as 30% per year since 2021, according to the National Highway Construction Cost Index cited in the county's staff memo.
Outreach preceded the vote
Between February and April 2026, Commissioners Jason Snider and Pam Treece briefed the mayors of 10 Washington County cities and presented to four city councils: Banks, Cornelius, King City, and North Plains. Key themes from that outreach included affordability concerns for low-income and senior residents and a preference for phased increases over a single jump.
The Board reached consensus on the phased approach at its June 23 work session. The first reading took place Aug. 4; the Aug. 25 meeting was the second reading and first public hearing.
Individual commissioner votes have not been published. The meeting agenda marks the item "Adopted," but minutes recording the vote tally are not yet available.
Planning process changes also adopted
At the same meeting, the Board adopted Ordinance 915, amending community involvement requirements in the county's Comprehensive Framework Plan and nine community plans: Aloha-Reedville-Cooper Mountain, Bethany, Bull Mountain, Cedar Hills-Cedar Mill, Metzger-Progress, Raleigh Hills-Garden Home, Sherwood, Sunset West, and West Union. The ordinance also amends the Community Development Code.
The specific changes to community involvement rules could not be confirmed from available records. The Board adopted findings for Ordinance 915 under Resolution and Order 26-88.
The Board's next regular meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 1, with a work session at 9 a.m. and a board meeting at approximately 10:40 a.m. at 155 N. First Ave., Hillsboro. Residents can attend in person or join by phone at 669-444-9171 (Webinar ID: 831 6858 9949).
