What is the ACHD Vehicle Registration Fee Extension?
On your ballot this year, when you make it all the way to the end, you will see a ballot question called ACHD Vehicle Registration Fee Extension. Here’s a short guide to help understand the ballot language and what it would mean for Ada County and its residents.
What is the vehicle registration fee? What is the purpose of it?
This is a local fee (about $36 per individual) that is paid once a year when you register your vehicle. Since 1990, when Ada County voters first approved a vehicle registration fee, this money has been used to fund transportation improvements throughout the county. The fund helps to pay for local neighborhood infrastructure like sidewalks, bridge repair, crosswalks, traffic calming, and traffic congestion. It also helps fund Safe Routes to School programs all over Ada County. These are projects that would not be funded otherwise, due to restrictions on state and federal funding for infrastructure projects.
What does this ballot measure do?
This ballot measure continues the existing vehicle registration fee, set to expire on December 31, 2028, all the way through December 31, 2046. There is no fee amount increase, and it would help generate $14 million annually, or $300 million over the next 20 years, to be used for construction and maintenance projects under the jurisdiction of the Ada County Highway District.
What projects have been completed as a result of this funding?
● Kuna: beacons and lighting to help Kuna Middle School students cross at Ten Mile and Boise Street
● Star: a safer crossing at Hiddenbrook Drive and Star Road for Star Elementary families
● Meridian: the pedestrian beacon at Maple Grove Elementary
● Eagle: the pedestrian crossing at Eagle Road and Ranch Drive
● Garden City: sidewalks and crossings on Adams Street that get kids to school and families to the Greenbelt
● Boise: the Cassia Street bikeway, and fast emergency repairs that restored the Eckert Bridge
More example projects here
Why does this matter?
This long-running fee has helped to provide ACHD with reliable, locally controlled funding that go directly back into neighborhood projects. With restrictions on state and federal infrastructure funding, the vehicle registration fee help deliver meaningful, neighborhood-level improvements, from safer intersections and smoother roadways to better access for people walking, biking, and rolling to road and bridge repairs. They also support critical investments in Safe Routes to School, helping students and families travel to and from school more safely.
