by VDC staff
Searching for more money for the transportation fund, Vermont lawmakers are laying the groundwork for a mileage-based user fee (MBUF), Vermont transportation policy expert Matt Cota said in his newsletter, Meadow Hill Sunday View.
Vermont now relies on gasoline/diesel purchase taxes, mostly paid at the pump, to build and repair state roads and bridges. But with the rise of EVs, another method of payment is needed. And that alternative may soon apply not only to EVs, but to fuel-driven vehicles as well.
The initial proposal would apply only to electric vehicles, swapping the current flat EV fee of $89 with a per-mile charge using odometer readings. While officials say broader expansion is not on the immediate horizon, decisions made in the next few months could shape whether MBUF becomes Vermont’s long-term transportation funding model.
Legislators are considering transitioning all vehicles – not just EVs – to user fees and away from fuel consumption to odometer readings, Sen. Pat Brennan confirmed on WDEV’s Vermont Viewpoint today. However, it’s early days and the focus, now, is on the EV MBUF.
Vermont AOT official Pat Murphy will present info about the MBUF to House Transportation at 1 PM on Wednesday and at 11 AM Wednesday in Senate Transportation.
One license plate only
Lawmakers are revisiting a proposal to allow single license plates on passenger vehicles while tightening enforcement against tinted or obscured plates. The DMV supports the change as a modernization effort, noting that inconsistent front-plate enforcement has persisted for years. Single plates reduce cost and administrative burdens, while the tinting language addresses growing enforcement concerns.
Retired Milton cop named to highway safety leadership
The Vermont Highway Safety Alliance (VHSA) has appointed Paul Locke as Vice Chair of its Board of Directors, bringing more than 25 years of law enforcement and traffic safety leadership.
Locke, a lifelong Vermonter from St. Johnsbury, recently retired from the Milton Police Department, where he served since 1999 in a variety of roles including patrol officer, detective, and patrol sergeant. Throughout his career, Locke paired enforcement with education to change behaviors and save lives on Vermont roadways.
“Traffic safety is one area of policing where you can have an immediate and lasting impact,” said Locke. “It’s about education, prevention, and changing behaviors—not just enforcement. I’m honored to continue serving Vermont in this role and to work alongside like-minded partners who are committed to making our roads safer for everyone.”
Locke began his public service career by joining the Vermont Army National Guard as a Military Police officer before earning a degree in Criminal Justice and entering local law enforcement. Over the years, he became a Child Passenger Safety Technician, Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), highway safety grant administrator, and traffic safety campaign manager, traveling nationwide for training and conferences.
Excavators-in-Chief
And speaking of public servants expertise in transportation – both Gov. Phil Scott and Lt. Gov. John Rodgers have been known to help out their neighbors behind the wheel by operating excavators. Several years ago, after a big storm, Gov. Scott was photographed clearing out his neighbors driveway at the controls of a large road grader. Calling into Vermont Viewpoint Monday, January 26, Lt. Gov. Rodgers asked host Brad Ferland if he could hear him because he was busy in his farm’s excavator shoveling snow for his Northeast Kingdom neighbors.