Seattle's $930 levy: An update and Q-and-A

New numbers Wednesday night showed Seattle's $930 million transportation levy, Move Seattle, passing 57-percent to 43-percent.

It would replace the previous levy, Bridging the Gap, which a KIRO 7 investigation discovered failed to pay 49 miles of roads despite collecting $25 million more than expected. Bridging the Gap also met and exceeded goals in other categories. A Q-and-A about Move Seattle is below.

"I think there's a trust level there, of, 'Is this really going to happen... are we really going to follow through?'" voter Susan Austin said.

Despite displaying jubilation at the voting results Tuesday night, city officials did not make themselves available the following day to talk about all the ways the nearly billion dollars in tax money will be tracked.

However, Mayor Ed Murray did reference one of the tools after stepping off the podium.

"We're going to build those sidewalks, we're going to create those transit corridors, we're going to repair those bridges, and we're going to put it online and people can monitor it in real time," he said.

Murray was talking about the city's new capital projects dashboard, which the city of Seattle rolled out in October.

It allows people to check on the status of projects, their initial, estimated costs, and how much has been spent.

In an interview with KIRO 7 last month, Director of Seattle's Department of Transportation, Scott Kubly, said it allows them to be transparent with the public on Move Seattle's projects and that voters will hold them accountable.

"We have a city council that's going to hold us accountable," Kubly said. "We have an oversight committee that's going to hold us responsible. And we have voters that are going to hold us responsible and accountable to the things we say we're going to deliver."

The oversight committee for Bridging the Gap issued a letter in May of 2015 saying that "SDOT has been a good financial steward and delivered on what it promised by meeting the goals established by BTG legislation."

On Tuesday night, the mayor said safety for students is first on the list for Move Seattle.

"Number one for me is to make sure that every school has a safe route to school," he said, "that we get those sidewalks up and running and get them up and running first."

SDOT did not respond to a request for a list of other projects voters will likely see in the first stages of the new levy.

Some voters told KIRO 7 that they're relieved the levy passed.

"I voted for it, I support it," Claire Fenton said. "Our transportation here has got some work to do, and I think it's something we need, and I'm willing to pay the taxes for it."

How much is the Prop 1 Move Seattle levy?
$930 million. It is the most expensive levy in Seattle history.

What was the initial vote count?
56 percent approved; 43 percent were against through Tuesday night. There were 89,409 votes counted.

Where does the funding come from?
Property taxes.

How much will my property taxes go up annually?
Here are the estimates for different home values.
A $400,000 home = $248
A $500,000 home = $310
A $600,000 home = $372
A $700,000 home = $434
A $800,000 home = $496
A $900,000 home = $558
A $1 million home = $620

Does this replace an existing tax?
Yes. The Move Seattle Levy replaces the expiring Bridging the Gap levy.

Was everything promised with Bridging the Gap levy delivered?
Nearly 50 miles of paved road was not completed. The paved miles were lane miles, meaning that only parts of the overall street were paved. And the city counts pothole repair in their lane paving road totals, adding up the small pothole sizes to add to the overall miles. Click here for additional details on what the city of Seattle didn't deliver with the Bridging the Gap levy.

How much does the city promise to pave with the Move Seattle levy?
Up to 180 miles. But critics say the term "up to" allows them to avoid paving roads as they did with the last levy.

The Ballard Bridge is old. The Magnolia Bridge is structurally deficient. Are replacements for those bridges included in the levy?
No.

How much of the $930 million is being used for bike lanes and sidewalks?
Of the $930 million in Move Seattle, about 33 percent is expected to be used for bike lanes, bike routes, signal re-timing and other projects. Another roughly 22 percent is for walking and bicycling improvements, greenways and similar projects.

How much is the city's transportation maintenance backlog?
Seattle has an overall maintenance backlog estimated in 2013 to be $1.96 billion, and Move Seattle was supported by Mayor Ed Murray as a necessary way to address that backlog.

How much will Move Seattle help the maintenance backlog?
The Friday before the election, city officials and a campaign spokesman told KIRO 7 Proposition 1 would cut the backlog $1.96 million backlog amount by $420 million. By the end of the day, they had significantly added to that estimate, offering a $629 million figure instead.

What's a breakdown of that number?
    $420 million for road and bridge maintenance repair
    $15 million for sidewalk repair
    $37 million for traffic signal repair and modernization
    $4 million for signs and markings replacement
    $5 million for East Marginal Way reconstruction
    $14 million for road spot improvements
    $30 million for curb ramp construction
    $104 million for transit corridors—a significant portion of this funding will be used to repair and repave the corridors
              Total: $629 million

Will this include Sounds Transit improvements?
Mayor Ed Murray guaranteed a Graham Street light rail station would open in South Seattle if Move Seattle passed, even though it allocates only $10 million for the station with the remainder needed from a Sound Transit levy coming in November.

KIRO