Five years ago Centre County was one of many statewide that added a $5 fee for every vehicle registered in the county.
The money goes to road and bridge construction.
But now, there’s billions of dollars being approved on the federal and state level to fund just that.
So, will the county fee remain?
Just outside of Boalsburg on Brush Valley Road, a one lane bridge is a vital connector for the local community and was once deemed structurally deficient.
It’s been repaired thanks to funding partially from by what’s known as the fee for local use.
The Brush Valley span is just one of multiple rural roadways and bridges that have been repaired since the fee was approved in 2017.
In Centre County, the fee from charging $5 for each vehicle registered in the county generates close to $600,000 a year.
County officials say it’s been seed money in pulling in federal and state matching funds for road construction projects.
Now, there’s questions about the need for the fee, with new infrastructure money approved.
But that federal and state money will be available with strings attached in the form of the matching funds requirement.
“Many of our municipalities are financially strapped at this point,”
“So, to tell them, great news, the state of Pennsylvania has several million dollars for road construction in Centre County. You need to come up with an extra million dollars to make that happen. That’s going to be very difficult.”
PennDOT is requiring Centre County to make a decision by next month on whether the county’s added registration fee program will be renewed.
