Legislature asking Oregonians how to pay more for transportation
The Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) will stop in Eugene on July 17 to discuss the need for stable and sufficient transportation funding in anticipation of the 2025 legislative session.
UPDATE 5/11/24: Added more external links and further reading.
BEST believes we should first ask Oregonians what they believe is worth paying for—and who decides—before asking how they want to pay. These are the fundamental questions, in order or importance:
- Outcomes: Who benefits?
- Governance: Who decides?
- Revenues: Who pays?
Meanwhile, Governor Tina Kotek, the Oregon Legislature, and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) want to know if you want to pay more at the pump, at the toll booth, for every mile you drive, or some other way. Legislative leaders will be coming to Eugene on July 17 to tell you they need more money and to learn which form of payment you prefer. (Below see the announcement from the Legislature and guidance from the Governor.)
Driving this discussion are concerns that ODOT doesn’t have enough funding to maintain and operate the highway system we have, and that the gas tax has become obsolete.
The chart above shows that ODOT allocates only 9% of its budget to maintenance and operations but 52% to capital investments. Couldn’t the Legislature shift its priorities to provide more to the former and less to the latter?
ODOT says, “The gas tax has served Oregonians well for years, but the problem with using it to fund a transportation system is that cars are using less gas as they become more efficient.” Couldn’t the gas tax be indexed to 1) average fuel efficiency and 2) inflation so that revenues are stable?
In the coming months, BEST will be focusing on what transportation investments deliver the best value to all Oregonians, and on how priorities are decided. If we see there are good investments needing funding, we will look to see what are fair, efficient, and adequate sources of revenue.
To learn more, see the headlines below under “Further reading.” They paint a picture of the conflicting forces at play as Oregon grapples with the challenges of providing transportation for everyone.
If you wish to be part of this discussion, join our Cycle of Change Legislation working group.
“Roadshow”
The Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) will be holding 12 meetings and local tours around the state to discuss the need for stable and sufficient transportation funding in anticipation of the 2025 legislative session. The goals of these meetings are to:
- Build public understanding of transportation funding challenges and potential funding tools to address those challenges.
- Build legislative understanding of statewide transportation needs and shared priorities.
- Build local, regional, statewide support and a sense of urgency for a transportation funding package focused on maintenance, operations, and safety.
- Gather input from the public and community leaders about preferred methods for addressing the transportation funding challenge.
The JCT will be stopping in Eugene on Wednesday, July 17. Further details will be announced.
External links
- Joint Committee on Transportation (Oregon Legislature, 2024 Regular Session)
- Transportation Package Tour to Focus on Maintaining a Safe, Functional, Efficient System (media release, 5/10/24)
- Meeting (2/27/24)
- State Transportation System Needs (presentation, ODOT)
- Meeting (2/22/24)
- State Transportation System Needs (presentation, ODOT)
- Highway Cost Allocation Study Background (Lindsay Baker, ODOT)
- Meeting (2/6/24)
- The Legacy of HB 2017 (presentation, ODOT)
- Multimodal Transportation Beginning Conversation Document Draft #12 Action Plan (Sen. Gorsek, Rep. McLain)
- Joint Committee on Transportation (Oregon Legislature, 2023-2024 Interim)
- Meeting (11/8/23)
- ODOT Projects Update (presentation, ODOT)
- Structural Challenges in Funding + Maintaining the Transportation System (presentation, ODOT)
- Meeting (9/29/23)
- Structural Challenges in Funding + Maintaining the Transportation System (presentation, ODOT)
- HB 2017 Section 75 Study (presentation, ODOT)
- 2023-2025 Highway Cost Allocation Study Summary (presentation, Mark McMullen, Oregon State Economist)
- 2023-2025 Oregon Highway Cost Allocation Study (ECONorthwest presentation)
- Oregon Transportation Commission HB2017 Section 75 Study (ECONorthwest, Sept. 2023)
- Meeting (11/8/23)
- Joint Committee on Transportation (Oregon Legislature, 2023 Regular Session)
- Meeting (3/28/23)
- Oregon Department of Transportation Funding Follow-Up (presentation, ODOT)
- Meeting (3/14/23)
- Oregon Department of Transportation Funding Follow-Up (presentation, ODOT)
- Meeting (3/7/23)
- Transportation Funding Outlook (presentation, ODOT)
- Meeting (3/28/23)
- Oregon Department of Transportation
Further reading
- Desperate for freeway funds, transportation commission mulls all bad options (BikePortland, 5/10/24)
- State releases dates and cities for 2025 transportation package ‘Conversations Tour’ (BikePortland, 5/8/24)
- Our view: Why aren’t Oregonians volunteering to switch to a pay-by-mile tax? (LaGrande Observer, 5/6/24)
- Let’s get ready to ‘Rumble’ about transportation (BikePortland, 5/2/24)
- State Transportation Package Legislative Listening Tour Kicks Off (Association of Oregon Counties, 4/30/24)
- AOC County Road Program launches County Road Needs Study (Association of Oregon Counties, 4/24/24)
- More Oregon bridges rated ‘poor’ condition as funding gap widens, according to report (Register-Guard, 4/13/24)
- Interview with Cassie Wilson, author of a new report that’s required reading for transportation advocates (BikePortland, 3/26/24)
- Oregon officials roll back tolling projects, but keep their options open (OPB, 3/20/24)
- Gov. Tina Kotek shelves plans for I-5, I-205 tolls in Portland area (Oregonian, 3/15/24)
- Kotek: No tolling now, but maybe tolling later (Portland Tribune, 3/14/24)
- As Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek puts freeway tolls on hold, others share their thoughts (OPB, 3/13/24)
- Monkey-wrenching road pricing (Joe Cortright, City Observatory, 3/14/24)
- Gov. Kotek tells Oregon transportation officials to end work on Portland-area tolls (Portland Business Journal, 3/12/24)
- Kotek tells ODOT: Scrap regional tolling plans (BikePortland, 3/11/24)
- Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek plans to halt tolling work indefinitely (Portland Tribune, 3/11/24)
- Save-the-Dates: State Transportation Package Legislative Listening Tour (Association of Oregon Counties, 2/28/24)
- Our newest Gerhardt report digs deep on state transportation policy (1000 Friends of Oregon, 2/20/24)
- Why an obscure highway cost study is suddenly in the spotlight (BikePortland, 2/13/24)
- Three big flaws in ODOT’s Highway Cost Allocation Study (Joe Cortright, City Observatory, 2/6/24)
- Truckers Sue Kotek, Lawmakers and State of Oregon, Alleging Hundreds of Millions in Overcharges on Road Tax (Willamette Week, 1/30/24)
- AOC/LOC Transportation Funding Forum Update (Association of Oregon Counties, 1/25/24)
- LOC Co-Hosting Transportation Funding Forum January 26 (League of Oregon Cities, 1/19/24)
- State representative calls for holistic audit of ODOT in light of ballooning project costs (Portland Business Tribune, 1/16/24)
- Retired ODOT deputy director: Oregon tolling proposal is running a red light (Portland Business Tribune, 1/16/24)
- ODOT: Winter travel will be safer this year thanks to Gov. Kotek, legislative leaders (Portland Business Tribune, 1/2/24)
- Republican lawmakers press for special session to reassess Oregon’s vehicle taxes (OPB, 12/18/23)
- Oregon Transportation Forum Annual Meeting Brings Ideas and Cautious Optimism Ahead of Legislative Sessions (Oregon Transit Association, 12/5/23)
- Governor Kotek, President Wagner and Speaker Rayfield Announce Funding for Winter Maintenance (media release, Governor’s Office, 12/4/23)
- ODOT says shortage of funds, road conditions could be worse this winter (Portland Business Tribune, 11/10/23)
- ODOT Snow Job: Give us more money, or we’ll stop plowing your roads (Joe Cortright, City Observatory, 11/8/23)
- AOC/LOC Transportation Funding Forum Continues (Association of Oregon Counties, 10/24/23)
- ODOT funding reaches dire state of affairs (Sisters Nugget, 10/18/23)
- AOC and LOC Convene Local Governments on Transportation Funding (Association of Oregon Counties, 8/28/23)
- ODOT: The gas tax is fading away and taking maintenance down with it (Portland Business Tribune, 8/23/23)
- Rep. Khanh Pham: Why I’m optimistic about Oregon’s transportation future (BikePortland, 8/1/23)
- Q&A with our 2023 Gerhardt Intern, Cassie Wilson (1000 Friends of Oregon, 7/28/23)
- ODOT budget woes could impact Sisters (Sisters Nugget, 5/24/23)
- ODOT looks to DMV fees to plug deficit; bigger budget problems loom (Oregonian, 5/15/23)
- ODOT: Modern tolling is a new approach to reduce traffic in the Portland metro area (4/13/23)
- Keeping the roads open at all costs (Sisters Nugget, 3/14/23)
- Rep. Khanh Pham: Up to $7.5 billion for Interstate Bridge replacement project? Time to rightsize for reality (Oregonian, 12/18/22)
- ODOT’s Reign of Error: Chronic highway cost overruns (Joe Cortright, City Observatory, 6/9/22)
- ODOT is planning for a future without the gas tax (Portland Business Tribune, 2/15/22)