Registration fees increase on horse-drawn vehicles, trailers

Sheila Selman, Goshen News, Ind.
·2 min read

Dec. 8—GOSHEN — Horse-drawn vehicles and trailers will see an increase in registration and license fees in order to help pay for road repairs.

The Elkhart County Board of Commissioners approved increasing horse-drawn vehicles registration fees to $100 per year per vehicles and trailers to $50 per year per trailer. Currently, the fees are $50 per vehicle and $17 per trailer. The county highway department maintains the registration process for these vehicles.

"The funds generated are used to repair roads in those portions of the county that have damage from the horse-drawn vehicles," County attorney Craig Buche said.

The highway department fills the troughs created by the wheels and a lot of time chip and seal is used to maintain a finished quality on the roads' surface, he said.

"The highway department has coordinated with the Amish community and proposed these updates on these fees and there have been some meetings with them to get some understanding on the need for the registration fees and for the costs and for what they're used for," Buche said.

He added that the ordinance also has an "escalator clause" built into it based upon a 3% increase per year. So from 2023 to 2031, horse-drawn vehicle registrations would go from $103 up to $125. For the trailers, they would increase from $51 up to $62 over the next 10 years.

Elkhart County has also included an option, Buche said, for a mail-in registration process, where the owners would not have to find transportation and go to a specific location. That option would be available with an extra convenience fee of $50 as well, he said.

"The highway department has communicated with the Amish community on this," Buche said. "We believe that there is a general understanding and agreement on proceeding with this.

That was the commissioners' understanding as well, commissioners president Suzie Weirick and commissioner Frank Lucchese said before approving the increase. Commissioner Brad Rogers was not in attendance.

The commissioners also approved a weight limit change for a bridge on C.R. 6 east of C.R. 17. It was changed from a 31-ton capacity to 28 tons.

Sheila Selman can be reached at sheila.selman@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240311. Follow Sheila on Twitter @sselman_TGN.