posted 08/16/11 06:00 AM | updated 08/16/11 07:40 AM
Views: 1769 | Comments : 23 | News, etc.

City car tab increase could be key to Aloha extension, rapid bus service on Madison

By Tom Fucoloro
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A proposed increase in the city's Vehicle License Fee could provide some, though not all, funding for an extension of the First Hill Streetcar to north Broadway and a new rapid electric bus line on Madison from Colman Dock to 23rd Ave. The City Council has signaled that they will send a proposal to voters asking for an increase in the vehicle license fee (VLF) to fund street repairs and transit projects, as well as some funding for the pedestrian, bike and (future) freight master plans.

However, the size of that increase is up in the air. The Transportation Benefits District Board (comprised of all the City Council members) is set to send a proposal to voters today, but it is unclear whether the the Council will request the full $80 allowed (which I argued for over at Seattle Bike Blog) or a lower amount, likely $60. The Board has already instituted a $20 fee, which was the highest they could without voter approval.

Some of the funds from the VLF — if the Council proposes it and voters approve it in November — would likely go to extending the First Hill Streetcar beyond it's planned terminus at the under-construction Capitol Hill light rail station, according to Seattle Transit Blog's Martin Duke, who is also on the Transit Master Plan Advisory Committee. Construction on the First Hill Streetcar is set to start in January, but there has been a push to extend the line to north Broadway, perhaps to Aloha.

The funds could also be used to build a connector streetcar extension through downtown to connect the South Lake Union and First Hill Streetcars. However, Seattle Transit Blog notes that there would not be enough money to build either project outright with the current planned funding breakdown and a more politically-friendly $60 fee. The funds could help with design and help find the projects matching grants while adding some of that match.

From an SDOT presentation to the City Council

Other funds would go to fulfilling work on the developing Transit Master Plan, which calls for many city-wide transit improvements including an electric Bus Rapid Transit line on Madison from Colman Dock downtown to 23rd Ave. In a July update to the City Council, SDOT presented concepts from the Transit Master Plan for several high-priority corridors, including a Streetcar route from downtown to Ballard via Fremont, a streetcar from downtown to the University District and the Madison bus improvements.

With the planned corridor improvements in place, the plan anticipates over 6,000 new riders on the corridor.

From an SDOT presentation to the City Council

Meanwhile, the King County Council passed the $20 county-wide vehicle license fee Monday evening to prevent large cuts to Metro service. It was not a smooth process, though, with the council going into several extended recesses before the final vote. The fee passed 7-2 and will not need to go to the ballot for a public vote.

12:56PM - UPDATE - The City Council, acting as the Transportation Benefits District, unanimously passed a $60 VLF proposal today. The fee will go to Seattle voters on the November ballot.
During the meeting, councilmembers expressed wide support for funding the Aloha extension with the new funds.
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Madison Express!
Having an express bus on Madison would be ideal! I live at one end of this proposed route and work at the other. As it is now, I either have to hoof to the 12, hope for an on-time 11 to link with the 12, or take a 35-minute meandering route #11 through Capitol Hill to get downtown. When it takes 40 minutes to walk and 35 minutes and $2.50 to ride, I find myself hoping for dry days. An express bus to 23rd is the answer to my prayers, especially in the wet winter months.
Comment by amylsmith
9 months ago
RE: Madison Express!- what happens after 23rd?
From the illustration it's unclear (to me, anyway) what happens after 23rd Avenue. Does it continue non-express to Madison Park? 23rd & Madison seems like a strange place to just end a route and turn around, though it could be easily done.
Comment by Jim98122x
9 months ago
Confused
I thought this car tab increase was solely to save current routes from sure destruction and desolation and as the media put it, severe reduction in key routes..... and a day after we are talking exapansion and improvements? Ummm...don't tell me the citizens of Seattle were duped. Again, like always?
Comment by wait just a dogone...
9 months ago
RE: Confused
No, not duped. The $20 part is for Metro. They are now debating whether to charge $40 more or $60 more.
Comment by arcanepsyche
9 months ago
RE: Confused
That's it. I got the two confused. So it make sense. We had the one in May for the city, this new from from KC and then one on the ballot for November. While some think it's 'just 20 dollars', in the bigger picture, it's not. It's over 100. I personally would like to see more of the useless green bike boxes and approach lanes for 10k a pop that we never see used. That is a good use for this money.
Comment by confused
9 months ago
RE: Confused
I see the green bike boxes being used all the time by cars who usually stop in the crosswalks on Capitol Hill.
Comment by dd
9 months ago
RE: Confused
Ha! You are correct there, the bikes are up on the sidewalk, so you do make a point.
Comment by confused
9 months ago
no
Don't make me call tim eyman. No, no, and no. I'm not paying 80 more on top of the jacking that already happened for projects that are not even car related.

Voters passed a limit on car tabs long ago, funny how they've slowly eroded this away and my car tabs for my old ass Volvo will be up to 230 next year.

How about the bennificiaries of this nonsense chip in? Seattle bikers, time to join in and pay tabs on your bike.
Comment by a neighbor
9 months ago
enough is enough
The City Council approved an extra $20 fee on the car tabs a few months ago, and now the County has done the same. In this economy, for now, this is enough.

In my opinion, it is not OK for local governments to use the car tab fees as a cash machine. I hope that the First Hill streetcar is extended to Aloha, but there must be another way to finance it.
Comment by calhoun
9 months ago
RE: enough is enough
Yes, there must be another way to finance it. I wonder what that is? I know, maybe Tim Eyman could offer us some suggestions.
Comment by Jim98122x
9 months ago
RE: enough is enough
Finance it through a LID, similar to what was used for the South Lake Union Streetcar.
Comment by CapHillMax
9 months ago
Rental tax
I think we need a funding source that doesn't let apartment renters and carless people off the hook. Maybe a monthly tax on each rented apartment, with a sliding scale so low-income rents aren't charged as much as Belltown highrises. Homeowners have been taking it in the shorts for a long time while renters don't feel the same pinch. Yes, they indirectly pay it through their rents, but a lot of that gets absorbed by their building and they never feel the pain.
Comment by Jim98122x
9 months ago
RE: Rental tax
We definitely should punish people who don't own cars.
Comment by dd
9 months ago
RE: Rental tax
Ask renters how much their rents have been going up, and you'll know that they have been contributing to the economic funding of our city, county, and state.
Comment by ProstSeattle
9 months ago
RE: Rental tax
No doubt, as have property owners and car owners. I'm not suggesting sticking it entirely to renters. But trying to tax bicycles is not only impractical, but it doesn't address people who, for example, ride the bus but don't have a bike. And trying to dump it all on car owners isn't fair either.

When the $30 license initiative first passed, the point of it was supposed to be that it wasn't right to run the entire general fund of the state on car registrations. The legislature was supposed to re-examine the entire tax structure of the state. Those huge car fees were blown away, but but never replaced with anything. And those tab fees were never $30. They've been going up steadily since.
Comment by Jim98122x
9 months ago
RE: Rental tax
any landlord that ISN'T passing on increased property taxes to their tenants is an idiot and deserves to loose money. It's completely and utterly ridiculous to think that renters aren't paying property taxes. They pay them (plus profit) to their landlord instead of the state.
Comment by BenE
9 months ago
RE: Rental tax
Renters pay their landlord's property taxes and the "carless" pay transit fares which ads up to far more than 20, 60 or 80 dollars a year.
Comment by traj
9 months ago
RE: Rental tax
When there are lots of rental vacancies (like now), landlords can't always pass an entire cost increase through to renters. Rents are very competitive and if you try to charge higher than competition, regardless of whether it covers your costs or not, you'll carry an empty apartment. BenE, you assume landlords are always earning "profit", but actually many landlords are not big property holders, might own 1 rental, actually lose money monthly, but they're counting on long-term appreciation. They still have to compete with big buildings and large players in the rental market, who can more easily absorb tax increases. In the last couple of years many rents have fallen with the real estate market, but taxes haven't. My point is, don't assume your landlord is always passing cost increases on to you dollar-for-dollar. With as competitive as the rental market is now, it's often not true.
Comment by Jim98122x
9 months ago
RE: Rental tax
Jim, I share some of your views about property taxes/renters/owners, but I'm not sure why you are bringing this up here. At issue is whether or not to increase car tab fees even more, and this will be decided at this fall's election.

Are you suggesting that an increase in the property tax is a possible way to finance needed improvements in Seattle? I doubt this would fly, because it would have to be approved by a majority of King County voters (not just Seattle voters).
Comment by calhoun
9 months ago
RE: Rental tax
Calhoun, the reason I brought it up is that there seems to be resistance to every mentioned method to raise more money.
*car owners feel like they're getting disproportionately socked
*taxing bikes has been mentioned, but I suspect it's impractical and insufficient
*raising transit fares to cover the whole cost will push low-income people off the bus
*I also agree that raising property taxes won't work and will fail at the poll

I mentioned a rental tax because it reaches another group that might ride transit more, might be less likely to have a car and pay vehicle registration fees, might already feel less of the burden of property taxes than homeowners do, for the reasons I mentioned. I won't re-open that can of worms by rehashing all that stuff.

My point is simply that all the suggestions mentioned so far are either impractical, won't raise enough money, won't pass (raising property taxes- might not even be permisable anyway), etc. I think a $60-80 fee will die at the polls too. So then where are we? We need to find something, and so far I haven't seen much that's likely to do it.
Comment by Jim98122x
9 months ago
$60 or $80?
Realistically, I see this being voted down either way. Bad timing. Everyone wants to improve mass transit, but the persistently weak economy and bad press will doom this one. We should probably consider ourselves lucky they managed to get the $20 done to avoid service cuts, but using car tabs to fund transit improvement is going to have to be done more incrementally to get approved in the current climate.
Comment by hillster
9 months ago
RE: $60 or $80?
Agreed, and there is a huge lack of improvements spelled out for West seattle residents, so I imagine they will think, "whats in it for me?"

Just a bad time to be voting on any tax or fee increase.
Comment by ProstSeattle
9 months ago
RE: $60 or $80?
I also agree.

I don't think there is any way the additional $60 fee will be approved this November, on top of the new fees from the City ($20) and now the County ($20). Local government is going to have to figure out another way to finance any needed transit improvements, instead of socking it to vehicle owners via the car tab fees.
Comment by calhoun
9 months ago