Would you pay more in sales tax to have more bus service?
Voters may weigh that question come November as Seattle City Council considers a proposal to double its current transit tax rate after it expires next year.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has proposed renewing the Seattle Transit Measure, while doubling its rate.
Wilson wants to increase the city’s transit sales tax from 0.15% to 0.30%. If the measure passes, it would mean paying 30 cents per $100 in purchases instead of 15 cents.
Among major inclusions, the mayor’s proposal would fund 100,000 additional bus trips annually, increase service hours, and improve transit access for low-income residents.
“It’s going to invest that service in nights and weekends across the city,” said Katy Ricchiuto, Policy Director at Transportation Choices Coalition.
“We just proved with the World Cup that people come here,” she added. “We can move millions of people on transit every day, and so now is the time that we can invest in service for people.”
Organizers with Save Ballard Rail are supportive too, particularly after the Ballard light rail expansion was dealt a blow this year when Sound Transit determined it wasn’t affordable.
“At the end of the day, what we want is Ballard to be connected to the rest of the system,” said Jonatan Gonzalez with Save Ballard Rail. “While we’re waiting on light rail today, if we can do it with buses, we should do it with buses.”
Not everyone is a fan of the proposal. Councilmember Bob Kettle is urging leaders to instead vote for a smaller rate increase.
He proposes setting the rate at 0.2%, with the option to raise the rate down the line.
“We have to have the good governance piece,” he said.
Kettle has said his focus is on spending public dollars strategically, while working to keep Seattle more affordable.
“We have to ensure that King County Metro can actually deliver the service hours,” he said. “Will there be ridership increases? There are a lot of things that play into this.”
The City estimates the proposal would cost the median two-person Seattle household making $124,000 per year approximately $58 per year. That would be $29 more per year than the median Seattle household pays currently.
“Transportation is a cost that people bear regardless of how they travel, and we’re offering a low-cost way to bring people more and better of the cheapest option available, public transit,” wrote a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office. “We know every dollar matters. That is exactly why these investments go toward more bus service and free passes so people can meet their daily travel needs.”
The select committee hearing will review the proposal and a list of amendments on July 16. Then, they’ll send the package to the full City Council for a final vote.
Ultimately, voters will have the final say on the tax increase in November.