Vehicle license fee considered to close $9 million Public Works shortfall
EVERETT — To help close a $9 million shortfall, the Snohomish County Council considered on Wednesday adding an annual $20 vehicle license fee.
While the council approved the structure for collecting the revenue, it postponed voting on the vehicle fee.
Public Works Director Kelly Snyder proposed the fee on cars registered in unincorporated Snohomish County to retain 34 staff positions, maintain 14 ongoing construction projects and save $66 million in grant funding, which requires a portion to be matched by the county.
“We have to have a 10-20% match. If we don’t have a 10-20% match we can’t keep the grant,” Snyder said in a May 12 interview. “This didn’t happen overnight. This has happened over several years. We have made some very key and strategic decisions about how to reduce our expenditures. We would never want to go out and ask for additional funds if we haven’t looked internally and figured out how to save.”
https://www.heraldnet.com/2026/05/18/vehicle-license-fee-considered-to-close-9-million-public-works-shortfall/