Several suburban cities leave Pierce Transit district while agency heads to ballot for a sales tax increase
Pierce Transit is heading to the ballot for another attempt at a sales tax increase this November. From the Tacoma News Tribune:
A sales tax increase to help Pierce Transit restore services and avoid further cuts will head to voters this fall.
The agency’s board on Monday agreed to place a three-tenths of 1 percent sales tax increase on the Nov. 6 ballot.
It would generate an estimated $28 million annually and allow Pierce Transit to restore some of the service it’s cut in the last year, transit officials said.
Annual service hours would rise from 418,000 to more than 581,000.
Voters rejected a similar measure last year with opposition coming mostly from suburban communities outside the urban core. This year however, officials redrew the transit agency’s boundaries and allowed several of these outlying cities to break away. They include the cities of Sumner, Bonney Lake, Orting, Buckley and DuPont.
City officials complained their citizens were not receiving transit service proportional to the taxes they paid and instead opted to leave the Peirce Transit district. This action was generally supported by all sides because it now increases the likelihood that a new tax increase will succeed at the ballot.
Something to watch is how long these transit-less cities remain on their own and whether they try to rejoin the Pierce Transit district without asking voters.
Comments
Rejoining Pierce Transit
Sorry I'm just now catching this. I happened to chair the PTIC (Public Transportation Improvement Conference) process that changed the Pierce Transit benefit area boundaries. As a result, I got a fast education on the somewhat convoluted state rules on PTBA's (Public Transportation Benefit Area). Just wanted to clarify something said at the end of your post.
"Something to watch is how long these transit-less cities remain on their own and whether they try to rejoin the Pierce Transit district without asking voters."
First, it's worth noting that the bulk of the territory cut from map was in unincorporated Pierce County. Unlike King County, we're fairly evenly split between incorporated and unincorporated population down here - about 55-45% respectively.
Second, at a minimum cities will need to wait two years before asking to be let back into Pierce Transit. Given the nature of this kind of public investment, it seems like it should be longer but that's what the state rules allow.
Finally, and the reason I wanted to respond, any request for annexation to the PTBA must be put to the voters. RCW 36.57A.140 describes the process. This is important because of the perception that you hinted at, that the areas unsupportive of more transit tax would be cut out before a vote and then added back in later. Even if it were allowed, it would be very unwise.