Here we go again. The voters approve (even if marginally) one proposal and the bureaucrats inevitably pull a “bait and switch” on the people.
In 1996, the voters (against wiser counsel who anticipated the now-proposed fraud) agreed to raise taxes for the RTA to make improvements to the region’s transportation system. We were promised at that time that all of the money raised in a specific county would, indeed, be spent in that county. Now, with the apparent acquiescence of Snohomish County leaders, that crucial covenant is being broken. Politicians in King County have sufficiently cowed their Pierce and Snohomish County counterparts to convince them to go along with revenue sharing throughout the region.
King County’s proposed projects are enormous and reek of special interests but they know they can’t afford them on their own so now they want to use the taxes of Snohomish County (and Pierce) to pay for their grandiose pipe dreams by comingling RTA tax revenues. They think it’s perfectly fine for people living in Marysville or Lynnwood to pay for their waterfront tunnel, epic bridge designs, ad nauseum. My wife and I moved to Snohomish County to get away from the Ron Sims and Greg Nickels tax policies.
We must stop them now. Please remember, when they talk about the already committed “state contribution” to these projects that already includes us Snohomish County denizens every time we pay for gas. I’d really like to see some evidence of completed (and worthwhile) Snohomish County projects before any “sharing” is even mentioned. I don’t live in King County, I don’t work there and I rarely visit. They want these things? Fine. Don’t take taxes from me and my neighbors to pay for them.
Mark Williams
Lynnwood
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