Today the Snohomish County Council is taking public comments on Ordinance 10-103, creating a Transportation Benefit District that could raise your car tab licensing fees an additional $20 per year. While $20 will not break anyone’s budget, the county should first assure the taxpayers that it has made every effort to halt waste and tighten its belt.
Prior to voting on any road maintenance tax increase discussed, the council should first terminate the 1958 Maintenance Agreement with U.S. Forest Service to maintain Mountain Loop Highway between Lake 22 Creek and Darrington. By the county’s own estimation we can save the taxpayers at least $200,000 per year by terminating the 1958 agreement.
Should Snohomish County desire to continue to maintain the Mountain Loop Highway, it should require the Forest Service to reimburse it 100 percent for all costs associated with the Mountain Loop Highway. This could be done by setting up an escrow account with the county that would fund all county costs associated with the Forest Service’s portion of the highway.
The highway is a non-essential recreational road that is closed due to snow 3-4 months every year and often closed by washouts for years. Even the Forest Service concluded that the Loop has no significant economic value to either Darrington or Granite Falls. Terminating the Mountain Loop Highway agreement will not close this road; money saved by the county terminating the 1958 agreement could help fund maintenance of roads critical to county residents and help defray the cost of the proposed vehicle registration tax increases. Let your councilperson know how you feel before they vote on this issue.
William Lider
Lynnwood
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