Gov. Mike Rounds has submitted a plan to the state Legislature that would increase fees that many South Dakota motorists pay for basic services.
The governor wants to raise fees for driver's licenses, driver records and vehicle registration and use the money to reduce the amount of state funds that are allocated to the Highway Patrol, for licensing and for licensing services.
The money that is freed up in the general fund then could be used for other purposes in state government.
Among the increases:
n Driver's licenses fees would go from $8 to $20. Commercial licenses would raise from $15 to $25.
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n An additional $1 on vehicles registered in South Dakota, which would go toward the Highway Patrol.
n People seeking a duplicate license would be charged $10, up from the current $6.
n Those who have had their licenses revoked would see an increase in their renewal fee, probably doubling the current $50 rate.
n And another $500 would be paid by businesses and others seeking copies of people's driving records.
Fee increases aren't good. No doubt about it.
But as we hear Rounds' proposal, we have to consider the times. The state's budget, in many areas, is in trouble. Our roads are a mess, the Highway Patrol needs more cash and the state's reserve accounts have been drawn down to only a fraction of what they were a decade ago.
Do we want higher fees? Of course not.
But it's getting harder and harder to dispute that the time has come for some modest increases.
