Collin Lueck
Editor
On Tuesday May 15, Lincoln County Board supervisors indicated support for maintaining a vehicle registration fee that adds $20 to the cost of registering a vehicle in Lincoln County this year.
A straw poll taken to gauge supervisors’ support for a continued registration fee in 2019 resulted in a 19-3 show of support.
The county vehicle registration fee was approved by the county board last September as a means to raise $526,000 to fill an anticipated shortfall in the county budget. By state statute, money raised by a county vehicle registration fee can only be used for transportation related purposes. The current registration fee would expire at the end of 2018.
Later at last Tuesday’s county board meeting, the board considered a related resolution presented by Supervisor Bill Zeitz. Zeitz proposed an advisory referendum question on the Aug. 14 ballot, seeking voter input on whether the county should continue the registration fee. Zeitz objected to the fact that no public hearing was held to allow taxpayer input prior to the county enacting the vehicle registration fee.
Zeitz’s resolution was ultimately defeated on a 19-3 vote, with Supervisors Nubs Ashbeck, Tim Panfil and Zeitz voting in favor.