Community Transit’s request for a 0.3 percent sales tax increase will bring Everett’s sales tax to 9.5 percent and Mill Creek’s to 9.9 percent. Sound Transit 3 plans to ask for an additional 0.5 percent sales tax increase in 2016, raising the total sales tax to 10 percent and 10.4 percent respectively, meeting and exceeding the 10 percent barrier.
Community Transit’s proposal includes reconfigured bus service for light rail which will not be coming to Lynnwood until 2023 and not to Everett until about 2035, if Sound Transit 3 is approved.
Community Transit is proposing more bus trips throughout the day. However, observations indicate that buses during the day usually have only four or five passengers and sometimes none.
Community Transit also lags on fare-box recovering about $2/trip on a cost of about $9 per trip based on data from their 2014 financial report. Chicago has a recovery rate close to 50 percent.
Spokane Transit, King Count Metro and Pierce Transit’s cost per trip is much less than that of Community Transit.
Even the state Department of Transportation says Community Transit is one of the most expensive transit agencies in the state for its size.
Voters should vote no on this proposition.
Wil Nelson
Mill Creek
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