By Warren Cornwall
Herald Writer
Chad Pagnac sounded more resigned than enthusiastic about voting for a 9-cent gas tax increase this November.
The 18-year-old high school senior from Mill Creek gets a firsthand taste of the I-5 bottleneck in Everett, and hopes the tax dollars would help relieve the congestion.
"You need to start somewhere," he said, explaining why he will likely vote for the tax.
Classmate Camille Smith, however, said that with a minimum wage job and gas prices already on the rise, she’ll probably wind up taking the opposing side.
"I really don’t know if I’ll be able to afford it," Smith, 18, said.
Their concerns went to the heart of a lobbying effort already taking shape to convince voters to open their wallets for roads.
Less than three weeks after the Legislature put a $7.7 billion transportation tax package on the November ballot, and opened the door for the central Puget Sound region to try for another $12.7 billion, top state and local transportation officials are sorting out how to move forward in the coming months.
At a Tuesday morning forum hosted by U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., officials sought to win support with a combination of promises and warnings. Some common themes: "trust us" and "it’s only going to get worse without more money."
Though promoted as a general forum about transportation policy, speakers returned repeatedly to the gas-tax increase before voters, and what it will do.
State Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, touted the November referendum as the cornerstone of a transportation package that addresses some of the state’s chief transportation headaches. But fixing it will take more money than the state now has to spend, she said.
"You cannot build any type of transportation system without more money," she said.
Along with the request for money came promises that state agencies are now more accountable to taxpayers on where the money will be spent.
As evidence of that, John Okamoto, assistant secretary of the state Department of Transportation, pointed to quarterly reports now issued by the department that show its successes and shortcomings.
"We’re going to work very hard to make sure you have confidence in us," he said.
Pagnac, the Mill Creek student, wanted to know specifics. Outside the meeting room window, people had a clear view of a major traffic choke point in the region — the intersection of U.S. 2 and I-5 in Everett.
What, he asked the officials, would the state package do for that?
Haugen said the package included a detailed list of projects getting funding, including new carpool lanes north on I-5 from Highway 526 in south Everett to the juncture with U.S. 2.
Every day, Smith experiences the congestion as she drives from her home in Arlington to school near Mill Creek. But that doesn’t ease her concern about paying more for gas.
"How are you expecting us to pay for more gas taxes?" she asked.
Larsen told her he would be voting for the tax increase. Each person would need to balance the cost of the taxes with the cost of not improving transportation.
"There’s a cost as well to the congestion," he said.
Reid Shockey, a member of the Snohomish County Committee for Improved Transportation, a lobbying group made up mostly of private industry representatives, warned the bill for fixing the problem is even larger than what voters will see on the ballot. Shockey said meeting the critical long-term needs of the region could eventually require a tax increase of 50 cents per gallon.
"This is a start," he said.
Snohomish, King and Pierce county residents could shoulder part of the extra cost. The Snohomish County Council on Tuesday got a close look at legislation that accompanied the statewide spending plan. The new law opens the door for the three counties to join together and present voters in the region with a tax package worth up to $12.7 billion.
The cost of transportation fixes needed in the region, such as an overhaul of I-405, dwarf what the statewide package will cover, said Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, a sponsor of the legislation.
"It still isn’t going to address the huge problems that we’ve got," he said.
The regional plan hinges on cooperation of all three county councils, which are set to form a committee that would draft a tax plan and a list of funded projects. Each county council would then decide whether to put the tax plan to voters in each county. Only the counties that approved the plan would be part of the taxes or spending.
County council leaders from each county are meeting Friday to take the first step toward creating the plan.
You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.
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