Gov. DeWine plans BMV fee hikes

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.

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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