NEWS UPDATE FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAVID GOMBERG: The Costs and Consequences of a Candy Bar and Safe Roads

By Representative David Gomberg, House District 10

4/27/2026

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

Ballots for the May election will be mailed to you on April 29. It is an important election where we will select nominees for Governor, the US Senate, Congress, and the state legislature. We will elect judges. We will elect or at least reduce the number of candidates for critical County Commission races. If someone receives more than 50%, they will essentially win. Less than 50% and the top two advance to November. And particularly important, we’ll decide whether to accept a gas tax increase and new fees approved by the legislature but referred to the voters by petition.

Opponents of the gas tax are cleverly presenting it as a “massive $4.3 billion tax increase”.

I call that messaging clever because it is a huge number but refers to revenue collected over a ten-year period.

The proposal is to increase gas taxes by 6 cents a gallon. Looked at differently, the increase pencils out to about $3 a month—the price of a candy bar.

Three dollars? Yes. If you drive 12,000 miles a year, get just 20 miles to the gallon and pay six cents more, that’s $36 a year or $3 a month.

To be fair, the proposal is for more than just a gas tax. Some fees will increase as well. So if we use that $4.3 billion number, and look annually rather than for an entire decade, that’s $430,000 a year, divided by 4.27 million Oregonians or roughly $100 a year. That’s two candy bars a month…

I get that many Oregonians are hurting. I get that too many of us struggle to pay rent, buy groceries, and worry about having enough saved for emergencies. A hundred dollars is real money to many Oregon families. Which is why I’m proud we passed a significant tax reduction for low-income workers and working families this year. Those are the people hurt most by this modest tax increase.

This gas tax proposal comes at a terrible time. I also wish we were also talking about the real driver of gas costs. Since President Trump launched his war on Iran, gas prices in Oregon have surged 26% or about $1.05 a gallon. For the average driver, that’s an increase of $450 a year (or about 150 candy bars).

Oregon’s gas prices are fifth highest in the nation. Gas prices across the country have soared since the United States attacked Iran on February 28, with Oregon’s statewide cost per gallon shooting to an average of $5.00 a gallon on April 7, up from $3.92. The national average was $4.14.

So, what’s going on and what are the consequences of a yes or no vote? Regular readers have heard this story before.

Historically, Oregon has committed to making people who use our roads, pay for those roads. In 1919, we were the first state to adopt a gas tax. That strategy was followed by virtually every other state and the Federal government as well. We now also charge vehicle registration fees and a weight-mile tax on larger vehicles—which is why you see those weigh stations along our roadways.

We ask people who use our roads to pay for our roads. We do that by tradition, by practice, and actually as required by our constitution.

Oregon’s gas tax is now 40 cents, with this proposal to increase to 46. California is currently at 71 cents and Washington at 59. Our current tax rate places us at 12th in the nation behind North Carolina, Virginia, and Rhode Island among others.

The problem is that we’re using less gasoline. People are driving less. Our cars and hybrids are more efficient and use less fuel. We’re using mass transit. And many of us are using electric vehicles. The average passenger vehicle sold today uses 25% less fuel than 20 years ago. That’s all good. But as the revenue we get from gas taxes declines, the cost of maintaining our roads is going up.

Since 2019, steel prices have increased 75%, concrete 32% and asphalt 39%.

To finally address this looming problem, the legislature in 2025 approved a compromise plan with five major components.

A six-cent increase in gas taxes.
An increase in registration and title fees together with an increase in payroll taxes.
A plan to begin charging electric vehicles either with an annual fee or a per mile charge.
Simplified taxes on trucks.
A number of mandated accountability measures at the Department of Transportation (ODOT).

Within weeks, Oregonians submitted signatures to refer parts of this plan to the voters. The vote next week will include the gas tax increase and the fee and payroll tax increase. It will not include the increase for electric vehicles. If I drove an EV, I’d be cranky about that.

I hear a lot about accountability. Clearly, there is a need to increase transparency and accountability, reduce convoluted layers of bureaucracy, and give Oregonians confidence the money they pay for roads is spent well. Among other steps, the legislature now requires regular independent audits of ODOT and annual financial reviews, and determined that the Director be appointed by the Governor rather than the Transportation Commission.

Nearly 20% of ODOT staff have retired or resigned because of the uncertainty and increased workload on those left. With the measure referred to voters, any tax increases were put on hold. And as a result, we had to completely rebalance the ODOT budget in the short 2026 session.

I was asked to help lead the effort, using vacancies at the Oregon Department of Transportation and federal funding to cover around half of the $300 million hole. For the rest, we reduced or delayed programs that make roads safe for kids near schools. We reduced support for rural economies by cutting freight rail projects and support for ports. We deferred vehicle electrification programs. And something that really hurt, we delayed work on dozens of small bridges that needed repair, were aging out, or were seismically vulnerable.

Those were not changes anyone wanted. But without money, the budget had to be cut. And even with those changes, the experts say residents should expect threadbare services. Case in point, the Lincoln City DMV office is closed for lack of staffing, leaving the closest services 40 miles away.

Budget cuts that have balanced ODOT right now cannot work for us long term. Declining to fix bridges will work for a year. It won’t work forever and will cost a lot more when we finally get it done.

The consequences are that with reduced staff, we hinder our ability to fill potholes, plow snow, paint fog lines, respond to accidents, or clear whatever debris mother nature dumps on our roadways. That is the very real effect on our quality of life, rural economies, and personal safety.

A yes vote keeps the taxes; a no vote sends us back to the drawing board. If you think we can have safe roads for the price of a candy bar each month, vote yes. If you think the tax is too much or a bad idea, vote against it. I just want to have an honest conversation about the costs and consequences. Telling folks they are facing $4 billion in new taxes isn’t honest.

Interestingly, the two leading counter proposals are to eliminate gas taxes and charge everyone annually by the miles driven (when rural drivers are forced to drive more), or to bill you based on the size and weight of your vehicle (regardless of how far you drive).

Honestly, I’m not sure Oregonians are ready for a big annual bill for cars that looks like their big annual bill for property taxes.

I have had an intense and in many ways, a remarkable week.

Tuesday, I met with the Oregonian editorial board to discuss the gas tax, much in the same way I discussed it with you here today.

Wednesday morning, I joined the Oregon Coast Community College Foundation for their quarterly meeting with news on plans to open an East County campus. At noon, I was guest speaker for Lincon City Rotary and their Community Days meeting. I talked about how legislators can help build stronger and more resilient communities by investing in parks, plazas, ports and particularly water and sewer that cost more than small towns can afford but are so very critical to community health, housing development, and cost of living. That night, I moderated a debate among several County Commission candidates.

Thursday, news erupted of a major fine against our largest coastal employer for alleged wastewater violations. Coastal legislators met early in the morning, conferenced with the Governor midday, and then gathered again virtually at dinner time as we considered how to protect jobs and coastal industries along with water quality and community health.

Friday was a good day. Back before district lines were changed in 2021, I represented the City of Sheridan in Yamhill County. I was pleased to help the school district secure funding to begin a new career-technical center that would benefit students throughout the region. And I was also pleased to encourage them to name the center for a Sheridan graduate who went on to become Oregon’s Governor—Barbara Roberts.

Back in 1981, I was part of new Representative Roberts’ legislative staff, and Susan worked for her in both the Secretary of State and Governor’s offices. We remain dear friends.

Friday, we were all on site as Congresswoman Andrea Salinas delivered another $800 thousand for this important project. Construction was already underway and a new truck driving simulator was available. I was able to tease the Governor that 70 years after graduating, she finally had her name on the side of a trailer…

Saturday was another good day. The only thing I enjoy more than a groundbreaking is a ribbon cutting. And almost exactly a year after the groundbreaking, we were there to cut the ribbon at the new East Lincoln Fire Station in Eddyville.

I helped secure $4 million in Oregon Lottery funds for this important project back in 2021. We had improved Highway 20 from a twisty curvy slow dangerous road, into a straight fast dangerous road. Accidents and fatalities are too frequent. This new station will cut response times in half. It will provide a safety center out of the tsunami zone in the event Cascadia someday slips. And, it will provide a complex to support the East County community.

It was remarkable to me to see an empty field transformed into a large regional life-saving asset because of the hard work of local visionaries.

From Eddyville I drove to Philomath for a Town Hall with Secretary of State Tobias Read. We fielded questions about election security, preserving vote by mail, and transportation funding. (We’ll have another meeting in Lincoln City May 9th.)

And then I scooted back to Otis and changed clothes. I would be attending the Lincoln County Children’s Advocacy Center annual black-tie gala. But, the evening schedule was not quite that simple. There were actually three banquets in Lincoln City Saturday night. So, I stopped by the Chamber of Commerce Community Days award presentation and hamburger BBQ in my tux. Meanwhile, Susan soloed to the Central Coast Humane Society’s Spay-ghetti and No (Meat) Balls dinner benefitting local neutering programs. We reconnected later Saturday night to compare notes.

This coming week will be equally busy with plans for a coastal dinner with OPB leadership, speaking to a Civics Leadership Class at the Community College, the League of Women Voters virtual candidate forum, auctioning at the Bnai Brith Spaghetti Fundraiser for local camp scholarships, a meeting of the SBDC Advisory Council, the Loyalty Days parade in Newport, and the Culture of Course dinner in Lincoln City.

Speaking of the SBDC, Oregon Coast Community College Small Business Development Center has been selected as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Region 10 Center for Excellence & Innovation for 2026! This prestigious award recognizes our team’s dedication to supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the Oregon Coast. Congratulations for your good work helping create and sustain local businesses!

Before I close, I want to return to the matter of the May election. Please note these important dates:

April 28, 2026 – Last day to register to vote and receive a ballot for the May primary.
April 29, 2026 – First day ballots will be sent out to voters.
May 12, 2026 – Last recommended day to mail ballots. After this date, voters should use an official ballot drop box, take their ballots directly to their local elections officials, or go to a USPS location and get their ballots postmarked.
May 19, 2026 – Election Day. Ballots must be received by local elections officials or postmarked by 8:00 PM.

Check out the information online about voting rights and election security from our Secretary of State.

Lincoln County residents please note that our local races are not in the Voters’ Pamphlet index or listed with Commission candidates from other counties. Lincoln County has a special inserted section after page 40 with details on our Commission candidates there.

County Clerks check signatures on ballots to ensure only qualified voters are voting.

As I reported last week, no election system is perfect. But mail voting is awfully good. A 2020 analysis by Oregon’s Legislative Fiscal Office found 38 criminal convictions for voter fraud across 20 years and nearly 61 million ballots cast in Oregon. That works out to roughly 0.000006 percent.

As Republican Secretary of State Dennis Richardson one said, you can’t hack paper ballots!

The Oregon Secretary of State Office has released the official 2026 Elections Toolkit, a collection of civic education materials designed to provide important information for every eligible Oregon voter ahead of this year’s Primary and General elections. The 2026 Elections Toolkit features a series of handouts, social media graphics, newsletter copy, and videos on topics such as registering to vote in Oregon, filling out your ballot, and knowing your rights as an Oregon voter.

Changes in the way the US Post Office operates means that envelopes you drop in local mail, go to Portland to be postmarked. And for your vote to count, it must be postmarked by election day. I urge you to vote, and I urge you to make sure your vote counts. So please complete your ballot early, take it to a drop site, or mail it with plenty of time. And remember, you can track online if your ballot has been received.