OLYMPIA…The Senate Transportation Committee held a public meeting today about Sound Transit’s controversial car-tab valuation process – the subject of Senate Bill 5851, co-sponsored by Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn. Fortunato, a transportation-committee member, also supports having cities and counties vote to exempt themselves from Sound Transit for both car tabs (Senate Bill 5817) and property tax (SB 5854). Fortunato is also a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 5001, which would require for the direct election of Sound Transit board members. Following the meeting, where all three bills were discussed, he released the following statement.

“Many of the senators on our side of the aisle believe as I do – that we have to do all we can to constrain Sound Transit.

“I’ve received hundreds of emails on the ST3 car-tabs taxes when people are going to register their cars.  That is why I support SB 5851 to use the lower market car values over ST’s inflated values.  Sound Transit’s reason for using values almost double? Because it is better for Sound Transit instead of the taxpayer.

“This is just another example of why it is time to have the Sound Transit board directly elected by the people instead of being made up of appointed political cronies. The RTA board will spend $54 billion without any accountability.  We are routinely asked for more and more taxes, shouldn’t we get more accountability?”