By Jim Redden
Voters will likely decide whether to increase motor vehicle-related taxes and fees by $4.3 billion over 10 years to increase funding for the Oregon Department of Transportation in the May 19 primary election. Campaigns are expected to be waged both for and against the measure that will shape the debate.
How passage of the measure would effect those living in North and Northeast Portland is complicated by the path the measure took to reach the ballot.
At the least, passage would restore support for such ODOT services as graffiti removal and support for local Safe Routes to Schools programs that help children safely reach their schools. Democrats in the 2026 Oregon Legislature session that ended on March 8 raided those and other accounts to plug holes in the ODOT budget until voters decide on the increases.
Beyond that, passing the measure might eventually help the Oregon Transportation Commission fund such large undertakings such as the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project that supports the Albina Vision Plan to revitalize North Portland’s Albina District. Corky Collier, director of the regional business-oriented Columbia Corridor Association, said existing freight routes in North and Northeast Portland also need safety and other improvements.
“A capital project I’d like to see is making North Columbia Boulevard the oversize [freight truck] route instead of North Lombard,” Collier told the North Peninsula Review. “Moving the oversize route from Lombard to Columbia would be good for residents and reduce conflicts.”
But passing the measure would also increase gas taxes, motor vehicle registration fees, and transit payroll taxes when travel-related costs are already surging, in part because of gas price increases due to the conflict in the Middle East.
The measure was originally scheduled for the November 2026 general election but was moved to the May primary by Democrats during the 2026 legislative session that ended on March 8.
Republicans and other critics had referred most of the increases to the November ballot, but could not prevent Democrats from moving it to May.
The referral prevented the increases from taking effect. Democrats rebalanced the ODOT budget during the 2026 session by redistributing previously approved funds from programs like graffiti removal and Safe Routes to School. Restoring those transfers are the priority if the measure passes.
“This is not an infusion of new or permanent funds,” ODOT District 1 spokesman David House told the North Peninsula Review. “The legislature directed existing resources within our budget to preserve our workforce and services across the state.
“More than 130 positions will be left vacant. ODOT will begin hiring for critical vacancies focused on public safety and customer service.”
If the measure passes, House said, “That would create more stable funding and open up opportunities for more fully restoring staffing and programs in maintenance, DMV offices and the rest of the agency.”