Car Tab Fee Increase May Be Headed to November Ballot
A proposal to solve King County Transit's budget gap by raising car tab registration fees is likely to be heading to the ballot this November, according to several transit reports.
The new fee, which would raise car tab rates by $20 for a two-year trial period, is expected to be formally announced by County Executive Dow Constantine tomorrow, who will bring the proposal to the King County Metropolitan Council for a vote.
The proposal is two-fold: if the nine-member Council approves the measure with a six-vote supermajority, the fees may be enacted without going to voters. If the vote passes with a simple majority, the issue will most likely be headed to the ballot in November for the public to vote in or reject. While Constantine is likely to ask the Council to enact the fees without bringing it to the public, obtaining the supermajority is unlikely, as the four Republican members of the Council have already stated their intentions to vote agains tthe measure.
If approved, the fee increase will help bolster Country Transit's dismal financial situation. As sales tax income - Metro's primary source of funding - has dwindled, the organization has been forced to slim down to bridge what was originally a $215 million deficit. After increasing fare, cutting positions and bus hours, and revising the framework for determining future bus service, Metro still faces a gap of approximately $60 million, most of which could be covered by the tab increase.
If the measure fails at the ballot, Metro faces having to cut approximately 600,000 hours worth of service over the next two years, primarily in the Seattle-Shoreline area.
