The Bremerton City Council voted 5-2 on Aug.
The increase is expected to roughly double the roughly $600,000 the fee currently raises annually, money that under state law can only go toward street, sidewalk and other transportation-related work inside city limits.
Neither dissenting member offered a public rationale beyond general cost concerns during the hearing.
That leaves a comparatively thin margin, roughly $67,000 a year, for the materials, equipment and contracted work the same crew actually needs to fix roads, which has forced the city to pull the difference from its general fund instead of a dedicated transportation account.
The extended runway distinguishes this increase from a reactive budget patch; city staff had time to model what a doubled fee would generate against a specific backlog of identified projects rather than setting a round number and working backward from a shortfall.
The Bremerton City Council voted 5-2 to raise its vehicle license fee from $20 to $40 for the first time since 2009, aiming to close a street and sidewalk repair funding gap that has been eating into the city's general fund.