Cities and counties didn’t make out well in the past two gas tax
increases. Next time, they need to restore their share, Kitsap
County Commissioner Josh Brown said during last week’s Kitsap
Transit board meeting.
Counties used to receive 22 percent of gas taxes, which were 23
cents a gallon. They only got 5 percent of the 5-cent increase in
2003 and the 9.5-cent hike in 2005, dropping their overall
percentage from 22 to 13.
The 5-cent increase paid for 130 projects and the 9.5-cent for 257
projects.
“There were big projects needed,” Brown said. “Those times have
changed.” Counties and cities struggle just to keep up with
maintenance, he said. Statewide, counties need $100 million to 150
million for their roads. If another 9 cents was added to the gas
tax, counties would need 2 cents.
“Counties and cities need to send a strong message to get back to
those historical splits,” Brown said.
He also said transit agencies need to be a bigger part of the next
transportation package, though they constitutionally can’t receive
gas taxes.
“We never recovered from MVET,” he said. “That funding has never
been replaced. A long time ago funding for ferries went away and
it’s never been replaced. It’s the same thing for transit
agencies.
“Ignoring local transportation needs isn’t acceptable. We need to
send a clear voice that if they’re only going to be supporting
highways, we’re not going to support that anymore.”
Brown said the past two gas tax increases were set up somewhat to
allow legislators to take credit for delivering a project to the
home folks.
“I think the voters get that,” Brown said. “Paving the roads and
operating buses should be the priorities. You can’t build a new
kitchen if your roof is leaking.”
Monthly Archives: November 2012
Port Townsend gives up on passenger ferry idea
Port of Port Townsend commissioners abandoned their plan last week to run a passenger-only ferry between Port Townsend and Seattle. Though they got a $1.3 million federal grant to buy a boat, they would’ve needed to pay for operations. As everybody before them has found out, you can’t make a profit. The $1.3 million will be given back to the feds. For more, see old pal Charlie Bermant’s story.
New ferries will be Tokitae, Samish
The two new 144-car ferries now under construction are being
named Tokitae and Samish. The Washington State Transportation
Commission today selected the names from seven proposals submitted
in September. The other proposed names were Cowlitz, Hoquiam,
Muckleshoot, Sammamish and Ivar Haglund.
Each of the seven proposals met commission guidelines for naming
ferries. The commission then solicited input from Washington State
Ferries, the ferry advisory committee executive council, and
through an online survey sent to members of the Ferry Riders
Opinion Group and the Voice of Washington State survey panels. More
than 4,000 people responded to the survey.
Of the 23 vessels operating in Puget Sound, almost all have
names reflecting the state’s tribal heritage. The names of the two
new Olympic Class vessels, along with the new 64-car ferries, are
in keeping with that tradition.
Tokitae will be the first new 144-car ferry. This Coast Salish
greeting means, “nice day, pretty colors” and also is the name
given to an orca whale captured at Penn Cove, near Keystone, in
1970. Tokitae was brought to a marine park in Miami 40 years ago,
where she was put into service as an entertainer, and re-named
Lolita. She is the last survivor of the 45 Southern Resident Orcas
captured in Washington state during the capture era of the 1960s
and 70s. Such captures were banned in Washington state waters in
1976.
The second 144-car ferry will be named Samish. The meaning of the
name is the “giving people” in proto-Salish origins. The Samish
Indian Nation has held a deep-rooted respect for the traditions of
sharing with its neighbors. The tribe’s historic area ranges from
the mountaintops of the Cascades westerly along the hills,
woodlands, and river deltas, arriving at the far western shores of
the San Juan Island. The tribe’s historic lands have been inhabited
for thousands of years by the ancestors of the Samish and their
Coast Salish neighbors.
The class of ferry — Olympic — was chosen earlier by the Department of Transportation from 130 submissions.
