MONROE — Commuters stuck in heavy traffic could see relief over the next few years if voters approve what could be a $7 million bond this fall to pay for key road projects in the city.
The city’s largest bond in recent years calls for a property-tax hike while people are tightening their belts to deal with rising costs of gas and food. City officials say they can’t wait any longer to tackle the traffic problems.
“It’s bittersweet,” City Councilman Mitch Ruth said. “Our No. 1 problem in the city of Monroe is traffic congestion and transportation issues. No one wants to pay for it, but everybody wants to have it.”
The City Council is still mulling over the exact size of the bond for the November ballot. Under the current plan, the city would ask for $7 million. The owner of a $375,000 home would be asked to pay up to $120 a year — or $10 per month — in property taxes over the next 20 years, city officials said.
For some people, that may be an issue. Connie Baxter, a mortgage broker, said she lost her job this year due to the slow housing market.
“Ten dollars per month is a big deal for people,” Baxter said.
Baxter lives in Monroe off 179th Avenue SE, a busy road that the city wants to improve with the bond. Traffic along the street is awful, but now is not the best time to ask people for a tax hike, she said.
“There are so many other things that to me are more pressing issues,” she said, adding that a local food bank is struggling to secure enough food.
The bond will need a majority vote to pass. If it is approved, the city plans to combine the bond with other revenue sources to pay for eight road projects, said Brad Feilberg, the city’s engineering director.
All the projects would be completed by 2010, Feilberg said. One is to spend $1.12 million to install a roundabout at the intersection of W. Main Street and Fryelands Boulevard at the city’s western end. The most expensive project would improve the intersection of Blueberry Lane and N. Kelsey Street. The price tag for that project is about $1.9 million.
The bond would cover just eight of 43 projects identified in the city’s transportation plan. The total cost of all those projects is $43 million.
The longer people wait, the more costly it will be to fix traffic woes, Ruth said.
City Councilman Tony Balk said he wants to give voters a chance to decide on transportation issues.
“It’s a tough year. It’s up to voters. The other thing is, when will be the best time?” Balk said.
Ron Jacobsen, 66, has lived in Monroe for about 10 years. He’s seen the city add many buildings over the past decade without investing enough money on roads. Now people are paying the price for the city’s poor planning, Jacobsen said.
“I have mixed feelings on it,” he said.
Nonetheless, he is supportive of the bond.
“It’s something that needs to be done,” he said. “We need a good road system.”
Jeanne Hanson, who owns a business that trains people in CPR, avoids driving in the town as much as she can between 2 and 6 p.m. on weekdays because traffic is so heavy. She said she’s ready to pay for road improvements.
“My time is valuable,” Hanson said. “I’m self-employed.”
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Road projects bond
Monroe is set to put a multi-million dollar bond on the November ballot to pay for road projects in the city. The bond, combined with other revenue sources, would pay for eight projects:
n Add new roundabout at W. Main Street and Fryelands Boulevard. Completion date: 2009. Cost: $1.12 million.
n Realign U.S. 2 intersection with Old Owen Road and E. Main Street. Completion date: 2010. Cost: $870,000.
n Buy right-of-way and continue Tjerne Place from Chain Lake Road to Woods Creek Road. Completion date: 2010. Cost: $1.7 million.
n Install signal at 179th Avenue SE and W. Main Street. Completion date: 2009. Cost: $633,000.
n Improvements of the intersection of Blueberry Lane and N. Kelsey Street. The $1.93 million is scheduled to be completed in 2010.
n Install signal at W. Main Street and N. Kelsey Street. Completion date: 2009. Cost: $790,000.
n Relocate west end of Oaks Street to align with new Tjerne Place. Completion date: 2010. Cost: $1.5 million.
n Install signal at new intersection of Woods Creek Road with Tjerne Place and Oaks Street. Completion date: 2010. Cost: $696,000.
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