Contested ballot measure gains support from the Eastside

The ballot measure that has been vehemently opposed by some just got more support from Eastside officials.

The Bellevue and Issaquah city councils voted in favor of the $54-billion Sound Transit 3 (ST3) measure on Monday. The Bellevue council passed a resolution to support Proposition 1 with a 4 to 1 vote. The Issaquah council unanimously passed a similar resolution.

If approved by voters, ST3 would cost the “typical adult” $169 per year or $14 per month. For that, light-rail would eventually be extended as far as Ballard, Everett, Issaquah, a portion of Kirkland, Tacoma and West Seattle. It would also add train capacity and expand bus rapid transit for I-405 and Highway 522.

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Proponents of alternative forms of transportation have argued that benefits vastly outweigh the costs to taxpayers. Seattle Subway, an activist organization, went so far as to compare the cost of ST3 to taxpayers to a subscription to The Seattle Times.

But the council support, especially from Bellevue, contradicts what business leaders have said. Despite support from business groups such as the Greater Seattle Business Association and Downtown Seattle Association, the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce recently came out against the proposal. The chamber said that while solving the region’s transportation issues has been a priority, it couldn’t support ST3.

That decision, as the Bellevue Reporter points out, followed a debate between King County council member Claudia Balducci and Bellevue council member Kevin Wallace. Wallace, according to the Reporter, “decried the significant tax bump for average King County residents.” Wallace said the average “tax burden” to Sound Transit would increase to at least $1,700 a year through 2041, according to the Reporter.

While the “typical adult” would only be paying an extra $169 per year, The Seattle Times reports that there would be a vast difference in the amount of taxes people on the Eastside pay compared to, say, those in Pierce County.

The Times, which published a tax calculator, points out that a review panel found that median home values fluctuate throughout the region. After all, ST3 encompasses King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.

Though the tax burden could fluctuate, people from all over the state could benefit from a service that supporters say would get cars off the road. Whether it is enough of a benefit will be decided in November.

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