Bills aim to combine area transportation agencies

Wednesday, February 8, 2006

Two measures calling for consolidating Central Puget Sound's transportation agencies and setting up major project ballot measures have cleared both houses of the state Legislature.

The development moves the region closer to another major vote and more taxes to finance big-ticket transportation projects.

House Bill 2872, OK'd by the House Transportation Committee on Monday, would establish a nine-member commission in charge of a new regional transportation district covering the urban areas of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

The commission would have Sound Transit take over the duties of other local transportation agencies in the three counties, planning and overseeing projects and financing.

The change has been discussed for several years and is a favorite of House Committee Chairman and Rep. Ed Murray, D-Seattle.

A slightly different Senate measure, SB 6599, would set up a commission to propose changes in regional transportation organization. It passed the Senate Transportation Committee last week.

Both measures allow increases in the motor-vehicle excise tax and sales tax to help finance transportation projects such as roads, ramps and bridges. The House version also allows money to be spent to expand bus service; the Senate version allows the counties to set up separate transportation districts that could finance expanded transit.

The Senate measure would permit an increase in the car-tab tax of up to $80 per $10,000 of vehicle valuation to help pay for projects, with voter approval; the House version would permit up to $60 per $10,000 of value. The House measure would permit a sales tax increase of up to 0.2 percent, the Senate of up to 0.5 percent plus a 0.5 percent vehicle-use tax based on value.

Either measure could supplement an $8.5 billion package of improvements financed by a 9.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax OK'd by lawmakers last year and upheld last fall by voters. Before a measure can become law, the two houses will have to reconcile the differences, which include how a regional entity would be established.

Another difference is that the House bill would delay until at least 2007 a vote on a regional transportation tax and improvement package. Murray thinks the delay will be needed to build support for any reorganization of transportation agencies, for a new series of taxes and against a new Tim Eyman initiative that would roll back some of them.

King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson and others want the option of calling for a vote this year.

P-I reporter Larry Lange can be reached at 206-448-8313 or larrylange@seattlepi.com.

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