Seattle voters will soon decide the fate of Proposition 1, which at $930 million, is the largest levy in the city’s history.
Billed as Let’s Move Seattle, Proposition 1 promises to make getting around town easier and smoother. But opponents say there are good reasons why the measure should be voted down.
Some of the highlights of what Proposition 1 promises to do in nine years includes paying for seven RapidRide bus lines, 250 blocks of new sidewalks, 50 miles of protected bike lanes, as well as bridge and road maintenance.
Questions of Affordability
Longtime Seattleite and Fremont business owner Suzie Burke took part in a recent town hall debate about the measure and said the price tag is too big for what it would do.
“Affordability, the ability to stay living in Seattle, the affordability to continue to run a small business in Seattle is dependent upon us to make wise choices. And this levy at this time is not well thought out and a wise choice,” said Burke.
Burke and other opponents, such as the League of Women Voters, say no levy should be voted on until the new city council, which will be seated this coming January, can be involved in shaping it.
The official campaign against Proposition 1 is called Keep Seattle Affordable. Eugene Wasserman, the campaign’s spokesman, said Let’s Move Seattle is, “just a group of disparate projects that they don’t even have to deliver on.”
“In the ordinance which passed the levy, it’s very clear,” said Wasserman. “It says these are projects for illustration only, they are not mandatory. So while it would be great if some of these projects were built, they would not be required to build them.”
Oversight
Shefali Ranganathan, is deputy director at Transportation Choices Coalition, a Seattle think tank. She’s also one of the people running the Let’s Move Seattle campaign.
Ranganathan said Wasserman’s assertions are inaccurate. Seattle’s Department of Transportation has released a detailed list of projects the levy would fund, as well as how much each project would cost. With all of this, she says, comes oversight.
“For the department [of transportation] to move money within categories, any money that’s more than a ten percent change will require seven of the nine council members to approve that change. And there’s an oversight committee that’s made up of residents of Seattle that will oversee the spending,” said Ranganathan.
Maud Daudon the CEO of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, also participated in the debate as a Prop 1 supporter. Daudon argued that Seattle can not change its challenging geography, but it can —and should — invest in better transit infrastructure.
“We’ve delayed long enough. And we know well that every time you delay on transportation, the costs go up,” said Daudon.
What would the largest levy in Seattle’s history cost homeowners? If your home is worth $500,000, then the price tag would be about $300 per year. This would be more than double what the expiring Bridging the Gap levy cost.
Prop 1 backers say if it is approved, the levy dollars would attract more money for transportation projects by making it possible for the city to win millions in matching state and federal grants.
While Proposition 1 is asking for a record amount from Seattle taxpayers, another, even bigger transportation levy is expected to be on the ballot this time next year. Sound Transit wants to extend light rail. This past summer the agency got permission from the Legislature to ask voters for up to $15 billion over a 15-year time frame.
