Lynnwood City Council members, always on the hunt for a new revenue stream, appear to have found their new cash cow. Some smart person in the financial department found a state code that under the premise of making and improving transportation infrastructure (i.e., sidewalks, traffic lights and general road improvements), allows them to establish a Transportation Benefit District, or TBD.
They, the council, with their new handpicked board of directors, and a few cherry-picked projects from the six-year, short-funded transportation plan, will now be able to add $20 to the license tab fee of all registered vehicles in Lynnwood.
This has been accomplished very quietly with a minimum of public outreach or attention from the press. I am sure all laws concerning public notification have been followed. I found out by glancing through the legal notice section of The Herald when the notice for the final hearing caught my attention. When I went to the city website, I had to go to the minutes of earlier City Council meetings to find more details.
The last meeting on this subject is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Lynnwood City Council chambers. Public comment on the proposed fees comes only after a charter review and approval and an election of TBD board officers.
I understand that funding is very short for many things but feel that this has come about in a deceptive manner with very little input wanted from Lynnwood residents. The constant raising of fees and taxes on every possible funding source has become unbearable. Funding for the new Lynnwood Recreation Center is a good example. Citing a survey, the city added taxes to many different utilities with no real public voice or vote. But remember, council members, come next election, we have a voice!
Paul Atkinson
Lynnwood
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