LAKE STEVENS — In November, the city of Lake Stevens will ask voters to support a 0.2% sales tax to fund better roads and infrastructure.
On Tuesday, the Lake Stevens City Council unanimously agreed to put a measure that would create a Transportation Benefit District on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. If approved, the tax will pay for streets, sidewalks and trails.
“It’s important that visitors to Lake Stevens shopping at Target or Costco or other major retailers help pay their fair share to maintain and improve our roadways. That’s the benefit of a (Transportation Benefit District) – it’s not just residents paying for these projects, but visitors to our city as well,” City Council President Steve Ewing said in a press release.
Council “believed this was the most equitable tax,” because both residents and visitors use Lake Stevens roads, the staff report states. Eleven Snohomish County cities have a Transportation Benefit District. Some are funded through car tabs.
In Lake Stevens, the tax would generate an estimated $19 million over the next decade, according to the staff report.
The district will pay for local safety improvement projects and help the city tap into millions of dollars in matching funds from the state and federal governments to fund larger traffic congestion relief projects, Mayor Brett Gailey said in a press release. “Ultimately, the voters decide if this is what they want and that’s how it should be,” he said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
