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News & ArtsTuesday, May 19, 2009
Transportation / Breaking News Governor Vetoes Metro Funding Source
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Tue, May 19, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Just got word that Gov. Christine Gregoire has vetoed the portion of Senate Bill 5433 that would have given King County Metro the ability to put a $20 car tab fee on the ballot to help fill its estimated $100 million funding shortfall. The fee for transit, if approved by King County voters, would have provided between $25 and $30 million a year for additional bus service.
"At best, this legislation was a partial fix, and now we're going to be coming back next year with a 'no more Mr. Nice Guy' attitude about transit service," says Ron Johnson, executive director of the Transportation Choices Coalition. "We need to make transit as high of a priority as roads in the state legislature."
Gregoire did not say why she was vetoing the funding option in her public statement this morning, nor has the partial veto showed up yet on the governor's bill action page.
King County council chair Dow Constantine said this morning that he was "very disappointed" with the governor's decision. "It's going to exacerbate the significant problems we have with transit funding and make more difficult the choices we have to make." Although a Metro audit found an additional $105 million in the agency's fleet replacement fund to pay for service in the coming year, that's only a onetime windfall; in the longer term, Constantine says, Metro will need a more stable funding source, such as the motor vehicle excise tax, to maintain service. I'm still playing phone tag with council member Larry Phillips, who pushed for the audit (and who, like Constantine, is running for King County Executive). Carolyn Duncan, a spokeswoman for the executive's office, says the loss of the license tab fee will mean cuts either in "quantity or quality"—that is, either reduced spending on "things like shelters, cleaning buses, or security or a reduction in bus hours."
The answer is in the first paragraph:
"given King County Metro the ability to put a $20 car tab fee on the ballot to help fill its estimated $100 million funding shortfall. The fee for transit, if approved by King County voters, would have provided between $25 and $30 million a year for additional bus service.
I don't think King County voters can vote in a fee for eveyone in the state.
3
BISH PLZ.
Just one more symptom of the NIMBY thinking that really holds Seattle back. It's not like people's tazes in Seattle go into helping to pay for road repaving or construction anywhere else in the state.
Of course, would Rossi have been any better? I am willing to cut the gov. some slack but this constant jacking of transportation options in this state has to stop somewhere.
At least if things get too bad I can wake up a few hours early and WALK to downtown Seattle (from Ballard) or refurb one of the ancient bikes I've found rotting on sidewalks around town and try not to die on the roads with all the crazy drivers.
It's time that the rest of the state stopped treating Seattle like a freaking city-state and started accepting that Seattle is the MAIN reason that most people and or businesses consider moving to the state or doing business in the state in the first place.
And brown nosing transportation choices says this is getting tough? Gregoire vetoing transit funding options is getting tough on cars?
Are they on LSD?
7
10
Without us, nothing would pass.
Make it so! Give no quarter!
Here's a little background information for Erica Barnett, because apparently she can't dig deep enough for factual information... the car tabs section of 5433 was not part of the original legislation "pushed by King County." The car tabs section was added to the bill as an amendment from the floor of the House by Rep. Simpson LD47 (bless his heart) to the disbelief of conservative Democrats who didn’t think the votes would be there. The votes were there in the House. The amendment stayed in through Conference Committee. Finally, it squeaked through the Senate and was delivered to the Governor.
Oh and here's a helpful note for your future stories... it's Rob Johnson of the Transportation Choices Coalition, not Ron. You can find his name on the TCC Website, again if only you took steps to research and fact check your information.
14
If you represent Seattle, don't represent the Eastside ... represent Seattle.
16
the deficit is largely due to expensive diesel and plummeting sales tax receipts, which fund transit.
the money you pay when you board does not come close to "covering" the cost of your bus ride. so even though ridership is higher than it's been since the fifties, the money is not there when most needed.
it's a dreadful situation.
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