By now Bend residents are probably used to that little bit extra tagged on to their utility bill per month for the city’s transportation fee.

The city plans to essentially double it. It’s about $5.60 a month now per home. It may go up to $11 a month for homes. Apartments pay about $4.15 a month now. Presumably that rate would double, as well.

An increase has been the Bend City Council’s plan all along. The plan was to implement the fee in July of this year. Raise it on July 1, 2025. And then the city plans to raise it again on July 1, 2026.

The city’s target is to bring in $5 million in the first year, $10 million in the second and then $15 million in the third. The fee has raised about $1.3 million since it was launched in July. The money is going to help fill a gap in funding for operations and maintenance of the city transportation system — roads, sidewalks, bike lanes, plowing, striping and safety.

Aside from the increase in residential rates, the city is also looking to charge nonresidential buildings differently than they are charged now. Nonresidential buildings are mostly charged on their square footage. Some businesses, though, have more intensive use of the city’s roads than others. So city staff are going to work with the Bend Economic Development Advisory Board and come up with a way to charge nonresidential both on intensity and square footage.

How will that be done?

The city may turn to the trip models used by transportation engineers based on types of businesses. There would also need to be a way for owners of nonresidential buildings to appeal, if any calculation the city uses appears unfair.

Of course, it raises a question about differences in residential use from home to home. Some households barely drive or don’t directly use the city’s transportation system as much as others. That is true, though, everyone does benefit from the system. And, in any case, how could the city practically differentiate residential use from home to home?

Discounts are also available for families that qualify. You can find out more about that bendoregon.gov/services/utility-billing/assistance-programs.

Changes in the city’s transportation fee — doubling it for homes or changing how it is calculated for nonresidential buildings — must be approved by the Bend City Council. There is no requirement for a public vote.

So if you have thoughts about the fee, let Bend City Councilors know by emailing them at council@bendoregon.gov. It’s likely that the city will try to adopt any changes by April, so it can have them in place to start in July.