WHITE SALMON — A public hearing has been scheduled for the Dec. 21 meeting of the White Salmon City Council to consider the creation of a “Transportation Benefit District” (TBD), which would be the first step towards the implementation of either a sales tax, vehicle licensing fee, or a combination of both.
Councilors affirmed the city’s interest in forming a TBD with a unanimous vote at their Dec. 7 meeting. Should councilors vote to form the district at their Dec. 21 meeting, further public hearings and votes will be held on Jan. 18 to consider the authority of the district, and on Feb. 1 to consider implementing a sales tax, vehicle licensing fee, or combination of both depending on council direction.
State statute authorizes the implementation of a sales tax of 0.1% and a vehicle licensing fee incrementally up to $50 by the simple vote of council. Those funds would be used specifically towards projects listed within the city’s six-year transportation plan, which is currently being drafted and will be up for adoption in 2023.
Combined the city could gather $91,468 in annual revenue, based off of 2021 sales tax revenue and a 1.88 vehicle to household ratio within city limits.
“I would like to hear from the public on this. As we are all consumers and users of our road system, making sure that they’re properly funded with dollars dedicated to them is very important,” said Councilor Ben Giant.
Councilor Patti Fink added that the additional revenue would create a “nice warm nest egg” for matching funds for grant applications.
Listed in the goals of the 2023-2029 plan are to: Inventory and classify existing street system; create a locally appropriate hierarchy of street standards for use when permitting new developments; identify larger potential for desired street connections; incorporate identified existing and desired bike and pedestrian routes such as safe routes to schools, Loop Road route, and possible connections from Mamie Gaddis Park to Spoke Bike Park; develop implementation policies for actionable street standards, particularly where off-site substandard conditions exist; and to identify funding mechanisms and strategies, including securing and planning for direct public investment in street infrastructure and planning for reasonable, predictable, and consistent exactions from private developers.
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