SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) — Some Illinois lawmakers are trying once again to reverse a massive increase on small trailer registration fees.

Annual license renewals on class TA trailers in the state, defined as 3,000 pounds or less, jumped from $18 to $118 in 2020 after the change was included as part of the funding mechanisms for a massive capital improvements program, which lawmakers approved and later was signed into law in 2019.

“The challenge is we were under the impression that small trailers wouldn’t necessarily be included,” State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, said. “These are the yard trailers that you’re probably most familiar with carrying supplies to and from Menards or Home Depot on a weekend project, or hauling the snowmobile out.”

He says a number of trailer owners first found out about the increase when renewing last year and many weren’t happy about it.

“I, like most of my peers on both sides of the aisle, have been receiving complaints from our constituents about this nuisance increase since it was passed in 2019,” Keicher said. “We’ve been fighting ever since the conclusion of session in 2019 to get this particular piece corrected.”

A group of lawmakers is working again to lower the renewal fee back down to $18. Keicher says some residents in his area have multiple trailers for different purposes and the cost adds up quickly.

“If we look at the impact on infrastructure, I think it’s fair to say the thousand-pound trailer with mulch from the garden center isn’t going to have that same detrimental impact on our roads [as a vehicle],” Keicher said. “It’s just too much for what those trailers impact is and their intended purpose.”

By SCOTT BERTRAM for the Illinois Radio Network