By State Representative Rob Nosse
If you only take away one thing from this month’s column, let it be this: The Oregon Transportation Reinvestment Package as presented a few weeks ago is the starting point for urgent action to keep our roads paved, our bridges safe and our economy strong. It’s about the basics of safety, maintenance and making sure Oregonians can get where they need to go, however they need to get there.
This is probably one of the most important things we are doing this session. If we don’t act, we risk losing the people who maintain our roads and keep the bridges standing—literally as ODOT is about to run out of money and will need to lay people off if we do not do something. We risk potholes that never get filled, traffic that never gets cleared and buses that never show up. And most of all, we risk letting our transportation system crumble beneath our feet, all because we didn’t want to talk about taxes. Okay, I exaggerated a little, but you get the idea, though the layoff part is not an exaggeration.
The Oregon Transportation Reinvestment Package would raise $1.9 billion every two years once fully phased in. Nearly 90 percent of that would go to basic maintenance, preservation and operations. No flashy projects. Just making sure the system works.
Here are the details. A phased-in gas tax increase, 20 cents in total over eight years. A one percent tax on vehicle sales (we’re one of the few states without one). A new “road usage charge” for electric and highly efficient vehicles. An added fee for delivery fleets like Amazon. Registration and title fee increases. A tire sales tax to support rail, wildlife crossings and salmon habitat. And modest increases to the transit payroll tax and the dealer privilege tax.
In short, we’re updating a 20th-century model for a 21st-century reality. With EVs and fuel-efficient vehicles growing in number, we can’t keep relying on the same gas tax and expect it to work forever.
This isn’t just a Portland issue. It’s a statewide necessity.
Transportation is the foundation for everything from commerce to emergency response, access to healthcare and more. And when it breaks down, everything else starts to go with it.
This framework includes strong accountability measures, including an outside review of ODOT’s cost controls and project delivery methods. The goal here is simple: make sure tax dollars are spent effectively, and that the agency is doing its job.
This framework also ensures fairness. Gasoline users, EV drivers, delivery fleets, even folks buying used cars are all asked to contribute based on how they use the system. That’s the only way to make this work long-term.
The gas tax will be indexed to inflation. EVs and hybrids will pay either a flat road charge or one based on miles driven. Large trucks will shift to a simpler weight-mile tax structure that keeps things more equitable across vehicle types.
This isn’t about soaking one group or another. It’s about stabilizing and modernizing how we fund our roads, and making sure everyone contributes their fair share.
If we don’t pass something this session, the consequences aren’t abstract. ODOT has already said that without an infusion of new revenue, they’ll have to cut 1,000 jobs that directly support basic services like road maintenance and traffic safety. Projects like the Rose Quarter and I-205 improvements will stay unfinished. More bridges will fall behind on inspections and repairs. Cities and counties will face larger backlogs with fewer resources.
Waiting means higher costs later. Delayed maintenance becomes emergency repairs.
Is this package perfect? Probably not. Is it final? I don’t think so. As of this writing, we are still waiting for a bill to appear in the joint transportation committee to get the process started. What we’ve got right now is a starting framework. It’s a foundation to build on through public input, committee work and debate.
As an aside, I am worried that the 0.08 percent increase in the TriMet Transit Tax is not going to be enough in the long run. Public transit is critical across the Metro area and we can’t be doing the bare minimum. It will likely result in a 15 percent cut in service by 2027. So I’m worried about this, especially since TriMet ridership isn’t quite where it needs to be to keep up with the cost of doing business. (Among other things, they’ve experienced an increased cost for rider safety.) We Portlanders love our public transit, which is why I am hoping the final package reflects our community’s values around transit and it comes up a little more. Otherwise, this package reflects feedback from last year’s legislative listening tour.
Most of you know I’m not a transportation guy. I mostly work on healthcare and the arts. I will be expected to vote “yes” for whatever emerges. But even I know we can’t build the future of Oregon on a crumbling foundation. This package is our chance to get ahead of the problem before we are left cleaning up a much more expensive mess.
As always, feel free to write to me with your thoughts. Whether you love this package, hate it or just have questions, I want to hear from you. After all, we all share these roads. Our safety is at stake and doing nothing is not an option so let’s fix this together.
