Yesterday the state House failed to pass a transportation funding package after a handful of Democrats defected in response to Republican backed concessions—concessions that only secured a single Republican vote. Some Republican members have rolled their eyes at the notion of casting a vote in favor of a gas tax increase when they don't expect the same out of the Senate. The buzz out of Senate Republicans is that if they approve a transportation funding measure at all, it will only be to approve referring it to the November ballot.

But that would come too late for King County to stave off substantial cuts to Metro bus service.

The county and the cities had lobbied Olympia for the authority to levy a 1.5 percent Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET), to be split 60/40 between Metro and roads, with the roads money distributed to the cities and unincorporated county proportionate to population. The county wanted councilmanic authority to impose an MVET, but that clearly won't happen. All drafts of the transportation funding package that have included this authority have required that it be put to the county's voters.

If the legislature approves the package directly, the county would rush to put the MVET on the ballot this November. With a hotly contested mayor's race in tax-friendly Seattle, and little going on throughout the rest of the county, the MVET would stand a good chance of passing. And that would give Metro time to start collecting its share before a temporary car tab expires and its reserve funds run dry next summer.

But if the overriding transportation package has to first go to state voters this November, we're fucked. First of all, it's just plain offensive to have to ask Seattle-hating voters throughout the rest of the state for the right to ask our voters to tax ourselves to pay for the bus service we need. Second, even if the referendum is approved by state voters, it wouldn't give the county enough time to put the MVET on the local ballot before Metro starts to run out of money. The MVET would take a little time to implement, so even a special election (made riskier by the low turnout) would come too late to prevent some bus service cuts.

That our MVET authority has been tied to controversial issues like a gas tax increase and the Columbia River Crossing is incredibly frustrating. We're not asking anything from the rest of the state but permission to tax ourselves to help pay for the bus service we need for our local economy to function. And Olympia can't even give us that.

UPDATE: From the News Tribune:

But it would have tough sledding ahead in the Senate, where Majority Leader Rodney Tom said: “I can’t imagine the citizens of Washington state want us to spend $81/2 billion on a night’s sleep when we haven’t slept in five days.”

Then do the right thing, Rodney, and offer a bill that authorizes the MVET separately! You live in King County! I know somebody who swears he's seen you riding a bus! Your constituents are more diverse than your Medina neighbors, so do the right thing and give us our MVET!