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Wallace Votes "No" on
Potential
Tax Increase For Transportation
Legislation Provides No Option For Public Vote
Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, voted
against a proposal in today's House Transportation Committee hearing
that would allow the City Council to raise car tabs by $20 with out
a vote of the public.
"The Legislature has already taken some bold steps to provide badly
needed resources for road projects," commented Wallace. "But if
we're going to go right back and ask for more, I think it should be
decided by the voters."
Wallace says the proposal would raise only $3 million in Vancouver,
or bonded it could go to $30 million over 20 years. This level of
investment would support sidewalks on the low end, or one small
interchange in one location.
"I don't think that we should be making all of our citizens pay an
increased fee for a relatively small return without a vote," she
said.
In recent years, legislators, including Wallace, have approved a
series of funding packages to bring in revenues for a laundry list
of critical road projects around the state. The Legislature enacted
two gas tax increases, raised weight fees $10 - $30, raised the
vehicle license plate replacement fee from$7 to $24, and gave
authority to the cities and counties to raise the vehicle license
fee up to $100 with a vote of the people. Local projects include
widening I-5, major revisions to the Gher Rd. interchange, I-205
interchanges, widening Hwy 14 and other valuable projects. |
