ODOT snow plows clear a highway. 

A promise that Oregon government has with Oregon residents is that it will maintain the state’s roads.

Cities do their roads. Counties do their roads. It’s up to state government to ensure the state’s major roads and highways are safe and in good condition. But…. the Oregon Department of Transportation is saying it is coming up about $1.8 billion a year short in revenue to do that.

“We currently don’t have the revenue — based on what we have been doing in the past — to make sure ODOT can meet that promise,” Gov. Tina Kotek said this week in a meeting with reporters and editors of EO Media group. “I can tell you right now ODOT has managed to scrimp and save and downsize what they have been doing, but at some point they can’t go any further.”

ODOT has been telling its funding story for years now. And now we hear legislators, including state Reps. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, and Emerson Levy, D-Bend, and Gov. Kotek saying it.

ODOT funding is going to be on the agenda for the next legislative session.

“What I would say to Oregonians is that they should expect an important and serious conversation about how we pay for maintenance and safety on our roadways,” Kotek said. “That will probably take some increases in revenue whether it be gas taxes or other fees or some other kind of mechanism. That conversation is here.”

The existing gas tax is full of holes when cars have become more efficient or don’t use gas. And though Oregon has an optional road-user fee, OReGO, it has not OReGOne very far. After this article was published, ODOT told us that 686 vehicles were registered in the program as of June 21.

Kotek said she wanted to hear from Oregonians and see the package that legislators come up with.

So let her know, you can contact her here: tinyurl.com/tellKotek.

This is a good, brief video to watch from ODOT about the challenge and some options, tinyurl.com/ODOTgap.

“Hopefully we can come up with something that even if people are uncomfortable — because any time you have to raise revenue it is an uncomfortable conversation,” Kotek said. “But if Oregonians want safe roads, maintained roads, we’re going to have to find revenue for it.”