Sound Transit Board to meet for first time since car tab increases

SEATTLE — Sound Transit Board members will meet for the first time since controversy erupted over the car tab money the agency is collecting.

Board members may be getting an earful from people who found out their car tabs nearly tripled under the passage of Sound Transit 3.

The board is meeting for the first time since voters in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties started receiving car tab renewal bills last month.

Voters approved the $54 billion Sound Transit 3 package in November and are now paying with property levies, local sales tax increases and car tab increases.

Board members now say they're directing the board to work with state legislators to respond without sacrificing projects.

“Whenever we lose revenue sources we have to worry about our ability to deliver the projects the voters adopted,” said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff.

The other issue with car tabs, besides how expensive they are, is that Sound Transit used an older depreciation model from 1996 to calculate taxes instead of the newer 2006 model.

Also watching are legislators in Olympia who have reacted with filing bills to get Sound Transit to change how it operates.

The meeting is set for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. in Seattle.

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Cox Media Group