Roads, bridges tax close to nine years old
News | Published on January 28, 2025 at 4:59pm EST | Author: henningmaster
0Sales tax has raised nearly $5 million in OT County
By Tom Hintgen
Otter Tail County Correspondent
Since 2016 Otter Tail County has benefitted from a half-cent sales tax devoted to road and bridge maintenance. In recent years close to $5 million annually has come to county government to help residents stay safe. Otter Tail County is larger in size than the state of Rhode Island.
Paved roads in Otter Tail County total 1,062 miles.
Also taking effect in 2016 was a county charge of $10 added to vehicle license tab renewals, later increased to $20 per vehicle. This money also goes to road and bridge maintenance.
County residents, at public hearings, overwhelmingly supported the half cent sales tax and license fees before those programs were passed by the five-person county board of commissioners. Residents agreed that roadway and bridge safety is a top priority. That’s still the opinion of most county residents today.
Additional road and bridge money comes from county property taxes along with funding from the state and federal governments.
Otter Tail County is working to develop its 2050 transportation plan which is an assessment of existing transportation conditions and a roadmap of future investment and project work. Planning began in 2024 and is anticipated to conclude by the summer of 2025.