Gov. DeWine plans BMV fee hikes

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s two-year state budget plan includes the BMV fee hikes as a way to shore up funding for the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The increases are projected to raise $127 million a year. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s two-year state budget plan includes the BMV fee hikes as a way to shore up funding for the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The increases are projected to raise $127 million a year. BILL LACKEY/STAFF
Ohio News
By Laura A. Bischoff
Feb 1, 2021
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Ohioans will pay $10 more for vehicle registrations and $2 more in vehicle title fees, if lawmakers approve Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget proposal.

DeWine’s two-year state budget plan includes the fee hikes as a way to shore up funding for the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The increases are projected to raise $127 million a year, according to Kim Murnieks, state budget director.

Roughly two-thirds of the Department of Public Safety budget comes from fees paid by 9 million licensed drivers and 13 million vehicle owners. Current fees raise about $466.4 million a year.

Murnieks said the need for increased funding has been evident for years and is not tied to the patrol’s response to racial justice and election protests in 2020 and last month.

ExploreOhioans could face higher fees at the BMV

In 2019, DeWine proposed increasing other BMV fees in his two-year budget.

The state budget plan must be approved by the Ohio House and Senate by June 30. The fiscal year begins July 1.

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Laura Bischoff is our Columbus bureau reporter and covers politics and state government. She keeps a close eye on elected leaders, public employees and taxpayer money. Bischoff tries to write stories that inform voters, hold leaders accountable and strengthen democracy.