2012 Legislative Session
The Washington State Legislature is considering Governor Christine Gregoire's proposed transportation revenue package during the early stages of the 2012 Legislative Session.
The bill numbers for the revenue components of the package are HB 2660 in the House and SB 6455 in the Senate. There are associated policy bills being considered by the House and Senate Transportation Committees, as well.
Connecting Washington
The current package is one outcome of the Governor's Connecting Washington Task Force effort. The Governor "...charged the Connecting Washington Task Force with reviewing statewide transportation needs, recommending the most promising investment options and revenue sources to address top priorities." The group was comprised of locally elected officials, members of State Legislative Transportation Committees, tribal members, organized labor, and trade associations and businesses.
The results of the effort are presented in a final report dated January 6, 2012.
Jefferson and Other Counties
If adopted, the package could have the following impacts on Jefferson County and other counties.
·
The proposed increase in the passenger vehicle
weight fee would create revenue distributed among several funds, including the
County Arterial Preservation Account. Preliminary estimates are that the
increase is expected to approximately double the amount counties receive
annually for the County
Arterial Preservation Program (CAPP). Jefferson County uses these funds for
annual maintenance of main County roads such as Center Road, Chimacum Road and
Irondale Road.
·
The Transportation
Benefit District (TBD) option for a vehicle license fee is authorized to go
from $20 to $40 with a 2/3 majority of the local legislative body, which in our
case means the Board of County Commissioners approves the formation of a TBD by
a majority or unanimous vote. A TBD allows a local agency to collect revenue
for specific transportation improvements within the District.
·
Counties are authorized to impose a 1% local
option Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET). There is a requirement to negotiate an
interlocal agreement with cities and the transit agency within the county to
distribute a portion of the revenue. The interlocal must distribute a maximum
of $20 per vehicle in each city to the cities within the county for local road
operation and maintenance needs.
·
$2.7 billion of the $3.6 billion transportation
revenue package is expected from the $1.50 per barrel fee on every person who
refines petroleum products for transportation purposes in the state. This
revenue is intended as a dedicated source of funds for operating and
maintaining the State’s highway and ferry system.
2 comments:
Interesting article in Sightline about the Governor's tarnsportation funding package.
Thanks, Richard. I'm assuming this is the piece to which you refer:
http://daily.sightline.org/2012/01/26/the-cleverness-of-the-barrel-fee/
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