Everyone would foot bill for roads if Monroe voters raise taxes

MONROE — If voters here give a tax hike the green light, it would be paid by everyone who shops and uses the streets in the city, not just by Monroe residents.

A proposal to impose a two-tenths of 1 percent sales and use tax for road improvements in Monroe has made its way onto the Aug. 5 primary election ballot.

If approved, the money would be used to maintain Monroe’s roads, which need about $12 million worth of work, according to city estimates. The tax is expected to bring in about $826,000 a year. It would raise the current 8.7 percent sales tax rate to 8.9 percent for 10 years.

Public Works director Brad Feilberg said Monroe’s roads are deteriorating faster than the city can find money to fix them. It has been an ongoing problem since the late 1990s, he said.

The city used to pay for its road improvements by selling gravel from a piece of land it owned to companies that make asphalt, including Lakeside Industries and Cadman. Other road money sources, such as gas taxes and grants also have dried up since the recession, Feilberg said.

The Monroe City Council unanimously voted in April 2012 to create a transportation benefit district that includes the city limits. The council oversees the taxing district and acts as its board. It put Proposition 1, the transportation improvement tax, on the 2014 ballot.

The city’s website has a map that shows its road conditions and a list of what type of work the money is planned to go toward each year from 2015 to 2025, if the measure passes. That time line might change based on other projects being developed, the actual amount of tax collected and the availability of grant money.

Mayor Geoffrey Thomas said the money from the proposed tax would allow road maintenance work to be done sooner rather than waiting until it becomes more costly later. He compared the city dragging its feet on road repairs to waiting to fill a cavity until it becomes necessary to have a root canal.

Thomas said the council did not hear from people against the proposal at public hearings to put the measure on the ballot. The city did not have anyone volunteer for the committee tasked with preparing an opposition statement that would appear in the voter guide. A group called Citizens for Better Roads supports the proposal.

Thomas said he hopes voters approve the tax.

“It’ll give us an opportunity to invest in our infrastructure and share the cost across everyone who uses our streets, not just residents, but everybody coming to shop in town,” he said. “This is just a more fair way to fix our roads than relying on a property tax.”

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Cassie Franklin, Mayor of Everett, delivers the annual state of the city address Thursday morning in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington on March 31, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
At Everett mayor’s keynote speech: $35 entry, Boeing sponsorship

The city won’t make any money from the event, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said. Still, it’s part of a trend making open government advocates wary.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.