Whatever decision the Port Orchard City Council makes about how much to charge for vehicle license fees, members all agreed at their June 28 meeting that citizens need to know how that revenue will be spent.

Following a public hearing seeking citizen input about the license-fee proposal, council members concluded a plan needed to be developed that would outline where money collected from the proposal would be allocated. Council member Bek Ashby reminded council members they had decided in February that the Tremont Corridor project was the city’s top transportation priority.

“We voted to support the Tremont project,” she said. “We have accepted $3.2 million from the federal government to design and buy right of ways (for property). If we don’t act by September 2017, that money will have to be repaid (to the federal government).”

With that cautionary note, Ashby recommended the council approve a $20 car-tab fee to be assessed by the city. The council can by statute approve a $20 fee without seeking voter approval. Another option before the council: collect a maximum of $100 per vehicle, but that would need to gain voter approval.

“My personal recommendation is for a resolution be made at our next meeting to approve a $20 fee,” Ashby concluded. She also said she’s in favor of a detailed transportation plan be developed and presented to Port Orchard residents.

During the public hearing, some speakers said while they understood the need for the city to contribute funding for new transportation projects such as Tremont and the Bethel Corridor, missing from the discussion has been a detailed roadmap about how the car-tab fees would be spent.

“I want to see a detailed plan for the money you want to raise,” Gary Douthit of Port Orchard said. Mary Felts told the council that while she sees a need for some transportation road improvements, she also wants a better accounting for how the revenue will be allocated.

In later council discussion, Ashby reiterated that the car-tab funding source is essential if Port Orchard is to continue seeking grants from other government sources. “The grant application process is a very competitive process,” Ashby said. “Concurrency (in funding options) is what grant sources are looking for,” she said. “One tool is a Transportation Benefit District. We need to look for other revenue sources.”

Council member Fred Chang agreed and voiced his support for a $20 fee. He disagreed with an option to put a $100 car tab fee before voters and, in the future, advocated that the city report each year to residents where that money is being spent.

“We have so little funding (revenue) and so many funding requirements,” council member Cindy Lucarelli said. She said the car tab fee “is a relatively small amount (of money) compared to what we receive. This is something we need to do now.”