Legislative Car-Tab Fix only the Beginning.

The Jan 25^th Seattle Times B1 page article, “State house OKs bill to cut car-tab taxes" is welcome news to the area’s residents and is surely justified.   Prior to the 2016 vote Sound Transit “misled” voters with a 7/08/2016 post entitled,“ST3 plan would cost typical adult $169 annually or $14 per month”.

It included the following:

Here’s how much a typical adult would pay if ST3 is approved:  MVET

An adult owning the median value motor vehicle would pay an additional $43 per year in MVET if ST3 were passed. The updated calculation reflects an annual median value $5,333 of vehicles in the Sound Transit District. MVET taxes are determined by a state of Washington depreciation schedule for a specific vehicle’s model and production year. The previous calculation relied on a less representative average vehicle value of $10,135 for the more expansive tri-county area, for a significantly higher annual cost of $78 per adult. 

However the Sound Transit 3 Tax Calculator used in the 7/08/16 post was dropped from the Internet and replaced with an April 2017 post headlined “Sound Transit 3 car tab rollback threatens light rail to Everett”, included the following:

During the campaign, Sound Transit was completely transparent about the taxes. We all knew that our car tabs would increase a lot in 2017 to help fund Sound Transit. So when the first invoices arrived, the vast majority of people just paid their tabs. But a vocal minority, with big tabs from expensive cars, took their displeasure to Olympia, hoping that the Legislature would listen to their stories and disregard the will of the people.

A Joel Connelly June 8^th,, 2017 Seattle PI article included the following:

 A survey by Moore Information, the venerable Portland-based polling firm with Republican and business clients, shows that ST3 would get only 37 percent support were voters given a do-over.

Thus it’s fair to say there would be no ST3 funding package if Sound Transit had been honest with voters.   Surely residents in the area, many of whom will never use the light rail spine, shouldn’t be forced to pay a car-tab tax based on Sound Transit’s inflated valuations. 

However, the car-tab fix should be only the beginning of the legislature’s actions regarding Sound Transit. They need to pass legislation requiring they be audited.  Not only would an audit reveal they’ve been mendacious regarding car-tab taxes, their claims as to light rail spine benefits would “likely” be debunked as sheer fantasy.

Prior to the 2016 vote Sound Transit’s “ST3 map” claimed light rail to Everett and Tacoma would add up to 110,000 and 95,000 riders daily respectively by 2040.  However, a 2004 PSRC “High Capacity Corridor Assessment” concluded the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) limited light rail capacity to 8880 riders per hour. The limited capacity means billions will be spent creating a light rail spine where even a fraction of predicted riders would fill transit trains before they ever reach Northgate and Angel Lake, ending access for current Central Link riders.  

An audit would also expose the huge increase in operating costs for the ST3 extensions.  It costs Sound Transit nearly $25 a mile to operate a light rail car or $100 per mile for a 4-car train.  Extending Central Link beyond Northgate to Everett will increase round trip operating costs by nearly $5000.  Yet they do absolutely nothing to increase capacity.  Commuters added by the extensions will either have to pay a huge fare increase or the area will face a financial “black hole” from the resulting fare box revenue shortfall. 

Even more basic, an audit would reveal  Sound Transit not only “misled” legislators and voters about what Sound Transit would cost and do, they violated the Revised Code of Washington regarding planning requirements for high capacity transit.  RCW 81.104.100(2)(b) requires the following: 

High-capacity transportation system planning shall include a study of options to ensure that an appropriate range of technologies and services are evaluated. The law requires the study of a do-nothing option and a low capital cost option, along with higher capital options that consider use of different technologies.

Yet there’s no indication Sound Transit ever considered far lower-cost BRT routes along restricted access lanes for I-5 corridor despite claims they had complied with RCW.  Even worse, Sound Transit claimed the RCW didn’t apply to East Link. 

Clearly the legislature needs to require Sound Transit be audited.  “Unfortunately,” Rep. Judy Clibborn, who chairs the  House Transportation Committee, response has been any car-tab fix should not “endanger Sound Transit’s projects” with the following:

 “We’re making sure the system is built and we’re going to make sure that this is fair”

She seems intent on using her control of the transportation committee agenda to assure Sound Transit is allowed to proceed with their light rail spine rather than reduce the area's congestion.  Apparently unaware or not concerned about the need for an audit that could reveal the possible devastating effect East Link could have on her  Mercer Island constituents' commute into Seattle.  I doubt if they consider that “fair”.

In conclusion, Sound Transit is about to embark on a plan to spend $54B and 25 years on ST3 extensions of dubious value and in clear violation of the state RCW.  While the legislator’s car-tab fix is surely justified, it should be only a beginning, they need to require Sound Transit be audited.