October 2022 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER 11
Civic Affairs
By STEVE SWITZER
Why the short notice on the tolling presentation ?
There was plenty of frustration from our residents after the Oregon Department of Transportation presentation on tolling the I-5 and I 205 freeways . Besides a short video
SWITZER
and powerpoint presentation , there was little information and almost no answers to the many questions asked .
We also heard from residents asking why they were not given more notice of the meeting . The answer to that one is simple — the presentation was not confirmed until Tuesday , Sept . 6 ( Monday 9 / 5 was a holiday ).
In late August , ODOT was invited to give a presentation to the Wilsonville City Council . The date selected was Sept . 8 . CCC President Gary Newbore asked our government affairs consultant to contact ODOT and determine if Mandy Putney , director of strategic initiatives , could address the board and HOA presidents before the council meeting . This was intended to get an informal update so we could update our residents on the issue . We received a reply on Aug . 30 that she was not available but they could send a representative . We reached out to the HOA presidents and board members to gauge their interest . When it was apparent that more than four board members would attend , creating a quorum , our bylaws require that we post the meeting . That was on Tuesday , Sept . 6 .
We were very pleased that over 100 people showed up for the meeting . However , the board knew that there was not going to be a lot of information available and that they were going to limit the question and answer period to 25 minutes .
As Civic Affairs chair , I can assure you that this is just the beginning . There is too much at stake for our community . In August , I testified at
the ODOT hearing on tolling voicing our concerns . Not only will we continue to press ODOT , but we will also ask direct questions to our elected officials on why they have voted for this plan as the only way to relieve gridlock on our highways . We also encourage residents to continue to contact ODOT as well as our elected representatives voicing their concerns .
In 2017 the legislature and governor approved a 10-year $ 5.3 Billion transportation bill to benefit major highway expansion and improvements . A fourcent increase in the fuel tax took effect January 1 , 2018 and adds a two-cent increase every year until 2024 , when the total tax will be 40-cents per gallon .
There were also increases to commercial vehicle fees , with increases in the weight-mile tax , trip permits and variance permits . Fees for fuel-efficient vehicles were also increased .
HB 3055 in 2021 expanded ODOT ’ s authority to include I-205 . This became ORS 383 and established rules for the implementation of tolls . So yes , at this time , it appears tolling is inevitable . ODOT specifically stated that tolling is a “ vital funding for projects in the
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Comprehensive Congestion Management and Mobility Plan .” Make no mistake , this is more than just funding . Their idea of reducing congestion is not adding lanes or widening the Boone Bridge . Their idea is to charge up to $ 5 to cross the Abernathy and Boone bridges during “ rush hour ” to control how people use the highway that they have paid for . Ironically , ODOT claims that gas taxes and registration fees leave them about $ 500 million short of their needs . At the same time , they claim that tolling would “ reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
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