Council adopts a new city wheel tax — but says it replaces, not adds to, what you already pay
Who it touches: If you register a vehicle inside Terre Haute city limits, you'll now pay a city wheel tax and excise surtax instead of the county's — the city says the total shouldn't go up, but says it's watching to make sure the state routes the money correctly.
The mayor told council the state now requires every local government to run its own wheel tax to keep receiving state paving dollars, so the city is creating a city wheel tax matched to what county residents already pay rather than charging both. 2:17:52 — open the recording, cued to 2 hours 17 minutes 52 seconds
Councilperson Cheryl Loudermilk raised concerns that the state's vehicle-registration system might misroute city residents' payments to the county instead of the city; the mayor said an audit is planned after the first few months to check. 2:21:19 — open the recording, cued to 2 hours 21 minutes 19 seconds
More from the record
- General Ordinance 6-2026 adopted2:23:39 (2 hours 23 minutes 39 seconds)
- General Ordinance 7-2026 adopted2:34:06 (2 hours 34 minutes 6 seconds)
Outcome
Adopted unanimously by voice vote, as amended.
General Ordinance 6-2026 was adopted as amended by unanimous voice vote General Ordinance 6-2026 adopted, 2:23:39, and its companion, General Ordinance 7-2026, was adopted the same way later in the meeting. General Ordinance 7-2026 adopted, 2:34:06
This summary was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor against the recording and documents linked above. Nothing publishes without a resolvable source.