Fishers could impose wheel tax starting in 2018

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness plans to ask the Fishers City Council to impose a wheel tax to help fund future road maintenance projects.

Under road-funding bill the Indiana Legislature approved earlier this year, cities with a population of more than 10,000 are allowed to implement their own wheel tax. Other cities including Valparaiso, Portage, Crown Point, Munster and LaPorte have already approved imposing the tax.

Fadness is proposing to collect $25 per registered vehicle, which is the maximum amount.

“I just don’t have enough money to repave roads,” Fadness said.

The Fishers City Council is expected to discuss the tax at its meeting Monday and vote on the measure in October. If approved, the tax wouldn’t kick in until 2018.

The city estimates the tax would generate $2.5 million annually.

The council would have the ability to amend or remove the tax at any time, but Fadness said the state would need to provide a significant amount of additional funding for road improvements before he would recommend lowering or removing the tax.

“We certainly didn’t come to this decision lightly,” Fadness said. “From my perspective, you’ll have more cities passing it.”