State attorneys said the notion of $30 car tabs has been debated for a long time and voters understand it as a political characterization synonymous with paying lower vehicle registrations fees. There were questions about the assertion of the ballot title that the measure would “limit annual motor-vehicle-license fees to $30.” In actuality, the lowest fee would be $43.25 because certain charges imposed by the state Department of Licensing were not covered in the initiative and continue to be collected. The lower court upheld most of the initiative as constitutional.Īt a June hearing, several Supreme Court justices seemed concerned about whether the measure’s title misled voters and the content covered too many subjects.
The Washington State Transit Association, whose members include Sound Transit, Community Transit and Everett Transit, and the Association of Washington Cities, which includes many in Snohomish County, were part of the coalition.Ī lower court, and later the state Supreme Court, ordered the measure not be implemented until resolution of the legal challenge. The initiative also aimed to force the regional transit authority to retire or refinance some outstanding construction bonds and switch to using vehicle values in Kelley Blue Book when calculating the Sound Transit excise tax.Įven before the results were final a year ago, a coalition of transit agencies and local governments - led by the city of Seattle and King County and including tiny Garfield County’s transit agency in southeast Washington - challenged I-976’s legality in court. It also called for slashing the motor vehicle excise tax collected by Sound Transit, a pivotal source of revenue for voter-approved expansion known as ST3, including the extension of light rail to Everett. I-976 sought to eliminate vehicle-license charges levied by local transportation districts in Everett, Lynnwood and 60 other cities. “We appreciate this ruling and will evaluate what it means for our city.” “I-976 dealt a major blow to the city’s already strained revenue streams, eliminating millions per year in funds we use to keep our roads safe and well-maintained, as well as support for our paratransit services,” she said in a statement. Now it will be less sucky.”Įverett Mayor Cassie Franklin lauded the result. “It looked like it was going to be a real sucky budget. “This makes it a little easier,” Hobbs said of the ruling. And the state’s multibillion-dollar obligation to replace culverts remains, he noted. Gas tax receipts and toll revenue are down as the economy has slowed during the pandemic.
Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. “There are still challenges,” cautioned state Sen. Inslee had ordered car tab receipts be collected but not spent, in case the money had to be returned. They worried for months that, if I-976 were to be upheld, it would slash revenue by $422 million for the current budget and $660 million in the next two-year spending cycle that begins July 1, 2021. Thursday’s decision immediately eased a headache for lawmakers and the governor with the state’s transportation budget.
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