By Susanna Ray
Herald Writer
EVERETT – Representatives from three Puget Sound county councils met here Friday for their second crack at a localized transportation plan, which could be sent to voters as early as the Nov. 5 election.
No decisions were made at the informal, closed meeting among two council members each from Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.
The state Legislature gave the three county councils the authority earlier this year to band together and ask constituents to raise their taxes to pay for extra local road projects. That’s in addition to statewide projects and tax increases the state already plans to put on the ballot this fall.
But the slow pace of the council meetings is one reason they have expressed doubt they’ll be able to come up with project lists and funding requests by the Sept. 20 deadline to put the package to voters in November.
At Friday’s meeting, the six council members talked about logistics and costs, and set up a mid-June meeting of the full 25 council members.
The potential for another year lost in discussion is why the three corresponding county executives decided to prod things along Thursday. They released their own plan, which they said was ready for the councils to put on the ballot. Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel and his counterparts proposed collecting $11.5 billion in extra taxes over 10 years.
In Snohomish and Pierce counties, the executives hope to increase the sales tax and motor vehicle excise tax by four-tenths of a cent each and add a $75 vehicle license fee. They figured the cost would amount to a dollar a day per household.
But their impatience irritated some Snohomish County council members.
“The executives got a little ahead of the game,” said Jeff Sax, the council member from Snohomish. “They should work through the councils, not through the media.”
“I must caution everybody that they (the executives) don’t have a vote (on the councils’ plan). They’re making a recommendation, like anyone else can do,” Snohomish County Council Chairman Gary Nelson said.
Snohomish County would have no problem getting a plan together by September, because transportation officials have been working together for years to identify the problems and solutions, Nelson said. But things are a bit more complicated in King County, which has numerous megaprojects to fund and a difficult division between Seattle and the Eastside.
And if the councils rush ahead with a plan that’s not ready, Nelson said King County wouldn’t be able to run a successful campaign to get the package passed. A “no” vote in King County would drag Snohomish County’s chances down with it, because the legislation requires at least two contiguous counties to work together to make sure it’s a regional plan.
You can call Herald Writer Susanna Ray at 425-339-3439 or send e-mail to ray@heraldnet.com.
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