As a member of the Sound Cities Association (SCA), the City of Redmond was one of 35 cities in King County to vote unanimously to urge the state Legislature to pass a transportation package to address critical infrastructure needs and to support a “local options” component to the package.
Nina Rivkin, chief policy adviser for the City of Redmond, said through these local funding options, King County and the cities within the county are asking state lawmakers to give them funding tools they can use. She said the cities and county need sustainable revenue to sustain their roads and transit service.
Within the local funding options are an up-to 1.5 percent voter-approved motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) in King County and an increase in a transportation benefit district (TBD) vehicle fee.
An MVET is a county-wide tax that would be on the value of residents’ cars and go toward transit and local roads.
“This is one tool we could use to provide revenue,” Rivkin said.
She said if the Legislature approved the local funding options, King County would be able to put an MVET on the ballot for residents to vote on the issue. The revenue from the tax would be split with 60 percent going toward public transit and 40 percent going toward local roads. Rivkin said the local roads portion would be divided among jurisdictions and unincorporated King County based on population.
Redmond’s share, based on the city’s 2012 estimated population and average vehicle value, would be about $1.6 million, Rivkin said.
“If there were an MVET, transit would not be cut and we would have an additional source of funding,” she said about what this would mean for Redmond.
A TBD can be formed by a city, a group of cities or the county and would be a charge on drivers’ vehicles.
Up to now, the fee has been $20 but if the Legislature approved this option, Rivkin said the fee could be raised to $40 without requiring a vote. This increase would be implemented through local councils.
To implement a TBD, jurisdictions must first determine a district, which could include more than one city. Rivkin said it would be too difficult and complicated to create a TBD for King County because it would need to include all cities.
“It will address numerous needs,” she said about what a TBD would go toward, giving examples such as road maintenance, bridge maintenance and preservation.
Rivkin said in 2012, King County Council implemented a two-year congestion-reduction charge of $20 per vehicle, which has helped fund King County’s Metro Transit service. However, this charge expires next year.
“When that revenue source expires, Metro will have to cut its bus service,” Rivkin said. “It would have to cut its bus service by 17 percent.”
She said that comes out to a “huge reduction” of 600,000 hours of bus service.
