OLYMPIA – Mukilteo’s Tim Eyman filed petitions Thursday for an initiative that seeks to erase a slew of vehicle fees approved by the Legislature last year.
That could mean another election fight this fall on what residents are willing to pay for transportation improvements in the state.
Dressed as Buzz Lightyear of “Toy Story” fame, Eyman turned in 252,531 signatures for Initiative 917. He needs 224,880 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the November ballot.
“Politicians will increase vehicle tabs to infinity and beyond if I-917 doesn’t pass,” Eyman said.
The measure would repeal vehicle weight fees and cap car tab fees at $30. This will be the third time Eyman has asked voters to back a limit on car tabs.
If approved, the initiative also would curb the taxing power of Sound Transit and the Regional Transportation Investment District that serves Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.
Specifically, the district could not seek to raise the motor vehicle excise tax above the $30 level. That would jeopardize the agency’s plan to ask voters in 2007 to endorse a multibillion-dollar package of improvements by raising the motor vehicle excise tax.
“We’ve certainly been concerned about it,” said Kjris Lund, transportation improvement district project manager. “Our intent is to ask voters for the approval of which projects they want and which funding sources they want and this robs us of that opportunity.”
Eyman said he’s “doing them a favor” because voters would never back their desire to increase the motor vehicle excise tax.
“It’s tough love, but it’s what reality is,” he said.
In 2005, the Legislature approved a 16-year, $8.5 billion plan of transportation improvements. To pay for it, they approved a 9.5-cent hike in the gas tax spread over four years, the weight fee and other new assessments.
Opponents of the gas tax hike tried to repeal it last November but lost.
This is a different battle, said Eyman, who was not a leader of that effort.
People only need be reminded they have voted twice for $30 car tabs and this third try should be the last, Eyman said.
The coalition of union members, environmentalists and business leaders that defeated the gas-tax repeal effort is expected to unite against Eyman. They’re likely to use a similar strategy of showing voters what they won’t receive if the measure passes.
The state Department of Transportation does not have a list of such projects.
A new report requested by lawmakers predicts if Initiative 917 passes, the state would lose out on nearly $2.8 billion in the next 16 years. The Office of Financial Management issued the analysis this week.
“It’s huge,” said state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, one of the architects of the 2005 transportation plan. Many programs other than paving roads and running buses would be affected, she said.
The Washington State Patrol would lose an estimated $243 million total, according to the report.
Patrol Chief John Baptiste said the number of troopers deployed could be affected.
“Needless to say the impacts to our agency would be considerable,” he said.
Eyman said he expects dire predictions from government leaders. They were voiced against his first initiative, I-695, in 1999. None of the claims proved true, Eyman said.
In 2002, voters passed I-776 eliminating local taxes charged on top of the state’s $30 fee.
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