Seattle City Council Were Against Transpo Tax Before They Were For It

Once again, if you want up-to-the-minute coverage of Seattle City Council doings, you’ve got to bookmark Publicola. They’re looking into the Council’s proposal to create a transportation benefit district (to assess a $20 annual vehicle fee for transportation improvements that SDOT’s leaky budget can’t handle). So far Publicola has four or five TBD posts up to…none from anyone else.

Ironically, last year the council repealed a $25 “head tax” that raised $4.5 million each year for transportation improvements, even though SDOT was already facing a deficit. Eight months later, it’s time for a new tax to fill the budget hole left by the tax they repealed.

Let’s begin at the very beginning: A transportation benefit district (TBD) can be set up by a city or county, creating an independent taxing district for the sole purpose of transportation funding. It can draw revenue from property, sales, and use taxes, and from annual vehicle fees. (Up to $20, vehicle fees don’t require a public vote; Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Des Moines, Olympia, Prosser, and Shoreline have already instituted the $20 yearly fee.)

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The council’s transportation committee chairman, Tom Rasmussen, proposed the TBD, reports Publicola, who characterize it as an “end run” around Mayor McGinn’s transportation plans. In theory, this would raise $6.8 million yearly that the council would collaborate with the Mayor on disbursing.

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The resolution out of the committee says:

The City will create and staff an ad hoc Transit Master Plan Advisory Committee to provide input on a proposed Transit Master Plan. The Transit Master Plan Advisory Committee will serve only through the development of the Transit Master Plan and should reflect the diversity of the residents of Seattle. The Transit Master Plan Advisory Committee shall meet periodically with members of an Interagency Team that will be formed to provide technical advice to the Project Manager and consultant. SDOT will consult with the Mayor and City Council in appointing the Transit Master Plan advisory committee members.

What this means, in short, is that the council is putting its oar in. While releasing $300,000 in funding for the Transit Master Plan update (per Publicola), the council’s creation of an advisory committee gives them more input into the planning process. McGinn has been pushing for a lot of light rail “quickly” (i.e., in our lifetimes)–on 520, on Seattle’s west side–and the council doesn’t seem to share his enthusiasm for the modality.

It won’t happen tomorrow; it’ll take time to set up the TBD and the fee can’t be assessed until six month after, so mid-2011 would be soonest. And who knows? Maybe the council will repeal that tax to score some short-term popularity. Stay tuned.