$1.55 billion transportation tax faces Seattle voters
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A cyclist navigates a construction site in Seattle. Photo: Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Voters in November will decide whether to approve the largest property tax measure in Seattle's history, approved by the Seattle City Council this week.
Why it matters: The $1.55 billion, eight-year transportation tax levy would repave streets, fix sidewalks, repair bridges, expand bike lines and improve transit connections.
- It would cost the owner of an $800,000 home about $500 a year — or about $18.58 more per month ($223/year) than the expiring levy, according to the City Council.
Driving the news: The nine-member council unanimously approved the levy on Tuesday afternoon and it was signed by Mayor Bruce Harrell Wednesday.
State of play: The current nine-year $930 million levy, which represents roughly 30% of the Seattle Department of Transportation's budget, expires at the end of this year.
- Voters previously approved a $365 million levy in 2006.
- While inflation and higher construction costs contribute to some of the increased spending in the proposed levy, it is also "more ambitious than its predecessors," the Seattle Times reported.
By the numbers: According to the Department of Transportation, about $403 million would go toward street maintenance and modernization and repaving arterial streets.
- $221 million would go toward bridge maintenance, repair and replacement planning and $193 million to improved pedestrian safety, including adding 350 new blocks of sidewalks and doing 34,000 repairs to existing sidewalks.
- $133.5 million for bicycle safety, including new protected bike lanes, bike lane barriers and completion of a gap in the Burke-Gilman Trail.
- $100 million to install and maintain traffic signals and improve mobility and access.
Additionally, $69 million would be invested in climate change solutions, such as increasing the city's tree canopy, and $45 million would go toward improving the freight transportation system, according to the proposal.
What they're saying: "As more and more people choose and rely on walking, biking, and public transit for their commute and other trips, investments in a seamless experience mean less time stuck in congestion," said Alex Hudson, executive director of Commute Seattle, in a written statement.
Context: The proposal is backed by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Disability Rights Washington, MLK Labor, Transportation Choices Coalition, Transportation Choices Coalition, Commute Seattle and more.
The other side: Former City Councilmember Alex Pedersen issued a statement this week that called the proposed levy "unaffordable, unfair, and ineffective," KING 5 reported.