DAVIESS CO. – The Daviess County Commissioners unanimously approved an increase in buggy user fees for 2023.
In the past the Amish purchased license plates for their buggies, this year they will be purchasing stickers much like those for a boat but larger and color-coded for the year and are non-removable.
After extensive talks between county officials and members of the Amish Safety Committee, the county has agreed to raise the fee for buggy plates by $50 on the larger buggies. A horse and buggy will now be charged $125 and a pony cart $75.
Even with the increase, the county feels they are still not receiving enough income to cover all of the damages created by horses along the rural roads.
Daviess County Highway Supervisor Chris Winkler estimates horse troughing or pavement damage to the roads in excess of $200,000 annually. In the last few years, the county has only collected around $100,000 per year.
Winkler pointed out that $200,000 will only repair about three miles of road overlay, eight miles of horse groove repair, and seven miles of chip and seal.
Officials feel the increase is one more step toward dealing with the horse damage on the county’s paved roads.
