Sound Politics: Bait and switch

March 14, 2006

Bait and switch

"Streetcar taxes for South Lake Union landowners may rise"

South Lake Union property owners may have to pay more in taxes than they expected to fund the streetcar line scheduled to open late next year.

Because a federal grant did not come through, Seattle City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck is proposing to add $3 million to the $25 million in taxes the neighborhood's landowners already agreed to pay.

A number of South Lake Union property owners are outraged. No word yet from Paul Allen.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at March 14, 2006 09:51 AM | Email This

Comments

1. "Outraged"? I'm outraged that federal dollars were wasted to pay for THAT! Where's the common sense and leadership from these local 'leaders"?

Posted by: Michele on March 14, 2006 09:54 AM

2. Seattle raising taxes? That's a dog bites man story.

Seattle is bound and determined to explore the far right side of the Laffer Curve.

Posted by: JCM on March 14, 2006 10:04 AM

3. Paul Allen screwing taxpayers? I'm shocked!!

Posted by: Andy on March 14, 2006 10:07 AM

4. I feel sorry for you folks that live in Seattle. It's a nice city. I like to visit. But the high cost of housing and the ludicrous politicians and taxes make it a dubious proposition at best.

Every time you turn around someone has another Utopian scheme and another tax. And there's no shortage of Goldstein progressives to rationalize and justify every tax and boondoggle.

Good luck with that, please try not to bankrupt the whole state.

Posted by: Jeff B. on March 14, 2006 10:10 AM

5. Sorry to burst your bubble Jeff B., but, Seattle and KIng County have plans to raid your pocketbook by telling you these phony emergencies exist.

They want to expand the long arm of Sound Transit by telling you that the only way increase capacity of the roads is you have to pay for both Sound Transit and a multi-billion dollar road projects.

And I can give you one guarantee. The road projects that are most important to you and me are the ones that won't be funded.

While I am at it, I will give one more guarantee. The local newspapers will lavish all sorts of good press on these bandits.

Posted by: swatter on March 14, 2006 10:26 AM

6. That's the problem Jeff.

As Jeanne Kirkpatrick so famously said, socialism fails when it runs out of other people's money to spend. They aren't close yet.

That's what worries me about this Rube Goldberg scheme to fund "transportation." I put the word in parenthesis because when you're talking about transportation taxes, you're taxing SOVs. If you're spending those same dollars, you're talking about "alternatives," which means anything but SOV lanes. You agree to the transit portion of the package and the roads portion, or you get neither.

So...in order to get last year's tax increase on the ballot, the spending was weighted inordinately toward Seattle's benefit (viaduct, 520, transit) and toward "safety" projects. They're managing to spend the majority of the money on projects that will not add capacity. Transit spending will not add SOV capacity. Viaduct spending will not add SOV capacity. 520 may add a carpool lane. Bike lanes will not add SOV capacity. Critter crossings will not add SOV capacity.

So, Seattle/RAT politicians have pulled off an amazing feat. They're taxing SOVs for the primary benefit of non-SOV purposes. Even the majority of road dollars spent will add no capacity.

All of that for this question...once Seattle has the viaduct and 520 in place, plus more Sound Transit projects, will it be possible ever again to get Seattle to agree to road construction? After all, they'll have theirs, and my sense is that's all they care about.

Posted by: South County on March 14, 2006 12:24 PM

7. You should know best, South County. In the mid80s money was needed to improve 527- Bothell-Everett Highway. It wasn't available because Bellevue, Mercer Island and Seattle were wasting all the State money on I90.

South Snohomish County got behind and are still behind.

Posted by: swatter on March 14, 2006 01:35 PM

8. Raise your hand if you are surprised at this latest turn of events! Duh!!!! This is a typical case of the politicians selling a snake oil finance scheme and then the people who buy into the scheme are shocked, SHOCKED to find out they are the ones who are going to have to foot the bill. But not to worry! Mayor Lickspittle and the council will figure out some way to tax all of us because it is for the good of the city and the children and the elderly and Paul Allen...

Posted by: Burdabee on March 14, 2006 02:13 PM

9. 1 Seattle City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck is correct to tax the property owners because they are ones who benefit from the street car.
2 The property owners are right to be upset because like an auto repair, their estimate was for one amount and now when they pick up the car, the actual is significantly different.
3 Any funds we receive from the Federal government should go to fixing I-5 and retrofitting SR-99.
4 Wash DOT already sank two bridges, I-90 and Hood Canal, so I don't respect them
5 John Keister of KING-TVs Almost Live had a skit several years ago in which the city has a special referundum to have Paul Allen pay for everything. (it was run during the special stadium vote)
6 Maybe it's time for the Soviet Socialist Republic of Washington (FDR's words NOT mine) to follow their progressive tradition and have Paul Allen and Bill Gates pay for everything.
7 What are they going to do? File Bankruptcy.

Posted by: Green Lake Mark on March 14, 2006 02:21 PM

10. Wait a sec, folks... The South Lake Union trolley folks voted to have their streetcar in their neighborhood, and they agreed to pay for it. Steinbrueck is simply saying that they need to cover any cost overruns.

Sounds good to me! Why should the rest of the city have to pay for this S.L.U.T.?

Posted by: Mickymse on March 14, 2006 02:36 PM

11. I thought I saw 5 million in this year's transportation budget for the streetcar, did it get lined out or is NO-ONE talking about THAT money..............

How many millions do streetcars cost?

Posted by: sgmmac on March 14, 2006 04:05 PM

12. Will they name it Desire?

Posted by: swatter on March 14, 2006 04:21 PM

13. I think "Bloodsucker" would be a good name. The street car could even be painted a dark gray and kind of rounded at the ends to look like a leech.

Posted by: Burdabee on March 14, 2006 05:38 PM

14. The local TV news stated this streetcar will cost an estimated $50,000,000!!! Unbelievable. And there still is no fix in place for the Mercer mess after decades and roads with potholes are everywhere. The Seattle City Council and Mayor are out of their friggen minds.

Posted by: balanced but fair on March 14, 2006 06:06 PM