An upcoming ballot question is looking to get feedback from folks in Washoe County over a possible fee for electric and hybrid cars.
The Regional Transportation Commission says this would be an annual fee that would be added for drivers with electric and hybrid cars during their registration.
They say these drivers are paying less in fuel taxes, compared to others who drive gasoline-powered cars.
Paul Nelson, the Government Affairs Officer for R.T.C., said, "Every person that's buying an electric vehicle or buying a hybrid, that means they're buying either no fuel or less fuel, so that means we have less revenue coming in to build our roads and maintain our roads."
Representatives tell us they've been doing their research into how Washoe County residents feel about this potential fee before the question makes it onto the ballot, and events like this allow for them to continue hearing the opinions of people in the area.
Nelson also said, "A company went out and did some polling among voters in Washoe County, and what they came back with was that about 60% of the population does favor an EV fee and then a partial fee for hybrid owners.”
We did speak with folks who attended this presentation, who are in favor of the annual fee.
They believe drivers with electric and hybrid cars are making the community miss out on extra revenue that goes back into our infrastructure.
Chris Ambriz, a Sun Valley resident, told us, "We need to have some more revenue to help keep the roads in the area more maintained, and so there's a lot of revenue that could be generated from EVs, possibly collecting fees that we're otherwise losing because we're not paying for gas."
We also did get a chance to speak with folks who currently own a hybrid car, and they said they chose to buy that car because they felt they were still contributing their part, and now feel as if they'll be getting this extra fee simply based on the car they own rather than the amount they drive.
Sean McGrath, a Sun Valley resident, said, “Currently we're all being charged equally for owning a vehicle. What they're doing now is for hybrid and EV cars. They're saying we should pay extra money to support the use of the roads."
R.T.C. says that 41 states already have something like this in place or are working towards it.
Nelson told us, “One thing that we do know is that Nevada is one of nine states that doesn't have some sort of a fee in place for electric vehicles. Some have gone with the registration fee. Some have gone with a mileage-based user fee, but 41 states already have something in the process, or they've already enacted it."
It’s important to note that if this measure does pass, it doesn't mean it will take effect in Washoe County, but it lets the legislature know how people in our area feel towards it.
We will continue to follow it as it comes up.
