No one likes to drive on roads with potholes, fading lane lines and flying pieces of asphalt that can chip a window. Not many would like to pay to fix the problem, either.
The Kirkland City Council may get the only vote on whether to consider a possible $20 car-tab tax for Kirkland residents to help bridge a budget gap in road maintenance through a Transportation Benefit District. The tax could go as high as $100 with a public vote and approval of 60 percent.
A 2008 State of the Streets report outlines the deficiencies in funding for road projects in Kirkland, with estimates at $2.2-$4.2 million per year, which is dependent on inflation.
By state law, the council does not need voter approval if the tax does not exceed $20. However, the council must conduct a public hearing on the proposed ordinance. A date for the public hearing has not been set.
The council is scheduled to take further action on the issue before the winter and a separate ordinance would be needed to apply the tax to the annexation area.
A report to the council in June stated that city staff assumes “there will be no single source of revenue in the near future to close that gap.”
It is anticipated that a $20 car-tab tax will provide between $680,000-$750,000 annually in additional revenue. Other sources are being considered along with the tab tax to bridge the entire funding deficiency.
Mayor Joan McBride said that when the City of Olympia considered the tax and held public hearings, political activist Tim Eyman voiced his support for the tax.
But some on the council are not so sure about the idea.
“My concern is that instead of addressing the fundamental problem we are putting our fingers in the dike,” said Councilmember Amy Walen during the June meeting.
Others made note of the small portion the tax would represent in solving the problem.
“I’ll support $20 as a drop in a very large bucket,” said Councilmember Dave Asher.
The car-tab tax would be collected by the Washington State Department of Licensing each year at the time of vehicle registration. The tax would go into effect six months after a confirmed vote by the council or voters.
The City of Kirkland does not have a sustainable road maintenance program and other cities have the same problem, Kirkland Public Works Director Ray Steiger told the council during the June meeting: “The busier roads, the arterials, have continued to degrade … we have been doing a really good job on the smaller roads to try and meet our goal … (but what) drags us down are our principal arterials.”
A report also found that most of the cities – including Bremerton, Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Des Moines, Olympia and Prosser – with funding deficiencies voted in 2008 or 2009 to implement the tab tax to bridge the gap. One exception is the City of Ridgefield, which opted for a 0.2 percent sales tax increase. A public vote in Burien for a $25 car-tab tax failed and the council vote in Covington was deferred due to the economic climate.
