The three-headed Montgomery County Board of Commissioners could come to verbal blows Thursday at their monthly meeting over a proposal by the two Democrats to increase annual vehicle registration fees by $5.
Lone Republican Joe Gale has fought the proposal for more than a month since the fee was first put on the August meeting agenda. However, the ordinance, which would raise the annual registration from $36 to $41, was pulled from the agenda before the meeting began.
The fee hasn't appeared out of the blue. Its origin comes from the state Legislature's transportation funding plan, Act 89. Montgomery County would be the 12th county in Pennsylvania to enact the fee. All revenue raised by the extra $5 would be required to go directly to county transportation projects.
Gale, who has made the fight against the fee his main cause at the moment, said Monday that for the second straight month, the Democrats gave him less than a day's notice that the ordinance would on the agenda. He said he received the agenda Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the 10 a.m. start Thursday.
He also said the fee will add to the already expensive burden of driving for Montgomery County residents.
"The Democrats already raised county property taxes by 9.87 percent and Pennsylvania already has the highest gas tax in the nation," Gale said Wednesday. "It is time to say, 'Enough is enough.'"
Commissioner Val Arkoosh, who is one of the two Democrats along with Josh Shapiro, told the Times Herald of Norristown two weeks ago that the $3.5 million raised by the new fee would go to much-needed bridge and road repairs.
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“The staff recommendation was that enacting this fee would bring about $3.5 million in revenue to the county each year,” Arkoosh told the paper. “That would be a very positive impact on our ability to carry out our most primary responsibility, which it so maintain infrastructure in the county.”
The agenda for the meeting can be found here.
