Spokane7
61°
February 15, 2011 in City
Council approves tab tax
$20 annual fee passes 4-3; decision on libraries delayed
The Spokane City Council on Monday approved one new tax and delayed a decision on another.
The council voted 4-3 for a $20-a-year tax on vehicles registered in Spokane, capping months of debate and reversing its 4-3 vote opposing the tax last month.
Earlier in the evening the council voted unanimously against placing a tax for libraries on the April ballot. Council members said they wanted to give Mayor Mary Verner a chance to present a broader property tax plan that would also boost the police and fire department budgets.
Supporters of the car tab tax say the city needs to fix one of the greatest complaints from residents: gaping potholes.
Councilman Richard Rush said although voters approved a $110 million street bond to rebuild streets in 2004, the city can’t afford to properly maintain what’s been replaced. “That is not good financial responsibility,” said Rush, who joined council President Joe Shogan and council members Jon Snyder and Amber Waldref in supporting the tax.
The new fee will begin to be levied in about six months.
Supporters argued that the new tax will be a consistent source of revenue that will make a difference in the condition of streets and cost drivers less than a tank of gas.
Opponents said that Spokane has a high level of poverty, and many can’t afford the new fee. They also said that businesses might relocate rather than pay it.
“How many businesses in this town have three vehicles, and how many do you think we’ll have next year?” said Councilman Bob Apple, who voted against the tax along with Steve Corker and Nancy McLaughlin.
Shogan, who led the effort to impose the tax, said that although he would support a regional tab tax, the county and other cities lack the political will to push for it.
“We can’t wait around while our streets go to hell,” Shogan said.
State Department of Licensing spokesman Brad Benfield said that as of July, there were 132,284 vehicles in the city of Spokane that would be subject to the tab tax. That many vehicles would generate about $2.6 million.
Councilman Jon Snyder was the deciding vote Monday. Last month he cast a vote rejecting the tax after the council opposed a plan that dedicated 10 percent of the revenue to sidewalk construction and allowed the remaining 90 percent to be used on any project in the city’s six-year street plan.
The approved tax still devotes 10 percent to sidewalks but ensures the rest goes only to street maintenance. The compromise, worked out by Shogan, was enough to persuade Snyder to vote in favor on Monday.
The decision to hold off a vote for the library had been expected since last week, when Verner and her staff urged the council to give them an opportunity to present broader tax options.
Administrators have said there likely will be another multimillion-dollar deficit next year but have declined to provide an estimate. Corker said Monday that it could be between $4 million and $6 million.
Rush and the Spokane Public Library trustees had argued that a specific library tax was more likely to win support, given the outcry last year when the city considered closing the East Side branch. The proposed tax would have cost the owner of a $100,000 property $15 a year.
Library Director Pat Partovi read a letter at the meeting from library Trustee Rick White. He said trustees would back a broader measure, but that it may make more sense to present voters with separate library and public safety measures.
“The sooner we bring the library issue to the voters the greater likelihood that we can rekindle some of the remaining fire and energy that we observed three months ago,” White wrote in his letter.
Last week, Verner, who is up for re-election this year, told the council that after making cuts in the last three budgets, it may be time to ask voters for a property tax for libraries, police and fire. She said administrators will present options to the council in April for a possible August vote.
“In spite of the fact that it’s extremely difficult for me personally and professionally to say that this is the year we need to raise revenue for the benefit of our general fund and the services we provide to our citizens, I’m going to come back to you and suggest what we need in terms of new revenue for the general fund because we have done all that expense reform,” Verner said. “We have cut to the point that our service to our citizens is way below par.”
MAC faces angry crowd 
Dazzeetrader11 on February 15 at 2:23 a.m.
Mismanagement of nearly everything. She’s raised taxes in virtually every category while pilfering monies from funds designed to do other chores for the city.
Shogan will only insult people who ask questions or who object to this profound increase in taxes and fees. The simple fact belie any arguement: This Mayor, whether it’s the money, spending, police, fire, river, low income housing, homeless, water, streets, sidewalks bikepaths, school funding,or garbage and waste management..simply cannot manage normal problems in a medium sized city.
Not much more to say.
CommonSenseJoe on February 15 at 3:37 a.m.
Is Snyder for real!?! I’d sure like a trip to whatever liberal, feel good, spread the wealth, kumbaya planet he’s living on. I fail to see the connection in any way, shape, or form between funding street repairs by taxing owners of vehicles who use those streets, and maintaining sidewalks for pedestrians. That’s like using the profits of Boo Radley’s to pay part of the rent of Cyrus O’Leary’s. Good management and asset allocation, Jon. You’ll be sure to keep the City in the black with funding decisions like that.
New_Improved_Drywitt2000 on February 15 at 3:45 a.m.
Daisy teases:
“Not much more to say.”
Really??
PLEASE tell me your serious??
Your through whining about this….RIGHT??
New_Improved_Drywitt2000 on February 15 at 4:04 a.m.
“Opponents said that Spokane has a high level of poverty,”
THAT’S RIGHT!!
And guess what…….
The poor ride the bus.
Over the course of the past 14 months we STA riders have willingly accepted a 50% increase in fares.
And guess what…….we did so WITHOUT BITCHING OR WHINING.
If you teabaggers are too cheap to pay $20 to maintain the streets the studed tires of your SUVs destroy…..then get a bus pass.
You’ll meet a better class of people.
New_Improved_Drywitt2000 on February 15 at 4:18 a.m.
“How many businesses in this town have three vehicles, and how many do you think we’ll have next year?” said Councilman Bob Apple,
Gee Bob….I don’t know.
Why not find out…..and tell us??
Rather than creating this strawman…how about some FACTS??
You know….those irritating little things which are the bane of bloviating politicians.
Give us some numbers.
How many businesses have 3 vehicles?
How many businesses will incur the considerable expense and inconvenience of relocation to avoid paying an additional
16 CENTS PER DAY……just over ONE NICKEL A DAY PER VEHICLE????
New_Improved_Drywitt2000 on February 15 at 4:26 a.m.
The inaccurately named CommonSenseJoe pontificates:
“I fail to see the connection in any way, shape, or form between funding street repairs by taxing owners of vehicles who use those streets, and maintaining sidewalks for pedestrians.”
Really??
Why should 10% of the tab fee go to sidewalk maintenance?
BECAUSE once you motorists park your cars……you gotta get from the parking lot to your business somehow.
And since the skybridges don’t go everywhere….how you gonna get there???
FLY like a pixie???
jimvw2 on February 15 at 7:23 a.m.
It’s amazing how the mean-spirited and self-centered surface and spew their venom whenever there’s a little stress in the economy. The rest of us need to ignore these cranks and get on with maintaining infrastructure and services these hypocrites are only too happy to use and abuse. Public services cost money. The federal and state governments don’t have any to give us because these anti-tax freeloaders helped elect robots who extended the Bush tax cuts. Elections have consequences, especially stolen ones (see Gore v. Bush). As a consequence of the ill-informed, stingy and selfish, local governments are on their own, dealing with the consequences of these same whiner’s goofy perceptions of their self interest.
There’s a reason the citizens of our sister cities live longer and have free access to health care. It’s called responsible citizenship. It’s what our City Council members are demonstrating with the tab tax. They’re not waiting for those tax cuts for the wealthy in New York or Boca Rotan to fix our streets. Instead they are taking responsibility to solve local problems with local resources. Get Get over yourselves Tea Partiers. Grown ups still,run this city.
SpokyDaBear on February 15 at 7:26 a.m.
They should have made it $200 per a car instead of $20. That would get all these poor people off the road and out of my parking spot.
opiemuyo on February 15 at 7:47 a.m.
Looks like there will be a boom on post office boxes outside of the city limits, lol
lewis8457 on February 15 at 7:56 a.m.
And all the while all city and county owned vehicles are exempt
They took 12 million dollars worth of real estate off the tax row last year so we all got to pay a bit more for that and now they tell us this tab fee will go to roads. The roads have been in bad shape for 20 years that I know of.
And we are supposed to believe this money wont fall into the pockets of a city or county union in an award for them. That is where the money we had to fix the roads went to last time.
DickAdams on February 15 at 8:19 a.m.
You ain`t seen nothing yet, taxpayers. Verner wants to buy another building we can`t afford. And don`t forget, some of the millionaire condo owners receive a real estate tax exemption. Remember, the services provided to the fat cats, like police, fire, street repair etc increase the real estate taxes for those of us without tax exemptions. And you can believe this or not, Amber Waldef thinks that we home owners will not see an increase over 1%. That`s comforting to know Amber doesn`t even know how the formula for figuring out real tax works. If anyone wants to see an email exchange she and I had, I`ll be glad to post it. Oh, and by the way, take notice of the bicycle lanes that were painted with a special embossed substance last fall for big buck, have been destroyed by the snow plows this winter. I suppose these will be repainted with the $20. tab fee. Thanks, Bob, Nancy and Steve for voting NO.
Orange on February 15 at 8:22 a.m.
Register somewhere’s else. Glad I don’t live in the city.
.
austindepaolo on February 15 at 8:23 a.m.
There really are too many freeloaders in this town. We have three cars and an extra $60 a year seems a small price to pay for better roads and a few more local jobs. I just wish they had the fortitude to do this sooner. Daisy please get a life.
westerly on February 15 at 8:33 a.m.
“broader property tax plan that would also boost the police and fire department budgets.”
Folks, another big tax is coming to reward the police and fire dept. This will ensure their continued upward spiral of their wages. Remember fiscal 2112 will be 4-6 million in the hole again, and the unions will not take a cut..its payback time for the minuscule give backs they gave the city in 2010! And the tab tax will be tapped into to help this along, just like the old money’s for roads went back to the fire dept…..face it, city cannot pay their people their union wages without maximum taxing of its citizens.
nslopeofw on February 15 at 8:36 a.m.
New improved dimwitt2000 says:
And guess what…….
The poor ride the bus.
Over the course of the past 14 months we STA riders have willingly accepted a 50% increase in fares.
And guess what…….we did so WITHOUT BITCHING OR WHINING.
Guess what, you are whining, right now. What a dim whitt
nslopeofw on February 15 at 8:53 a.m.
A tax is a tax, and we working peoples already pay too much. Time to tighten the belts, and cut the budgets. We all do. Why cant our government?
PS dimwitt2K: I dont mind paying a small tax for you to ride the bus, you planning on paying for something for me? How bout we add this $20 to your annual bus fare? No? Thats what i thought.
SpokyDaBear on February 15 at 9:08 a.m.
What else can they tax besides car tabs? We need to get more money rolling in this city. Why don’t we increase property taxes and charge people to use the library? What about if your house catches on fire, the fire department should be able to charge a user fee. The same for when a police man pulls you over. There should be another user fee for taking his time to give you a ticket. And, if you get arrested, you should be charged for the police car taxi ride to jail and you should be charged for staying at the comfort jail inn.
We could also cut the Cadillac health care benefits to all the city employees and make them get a health plan in line with the rest of the common people of Spokane. And if the city employees complain, good news, they can get a job somewhere else.
Wow, I’m doing great on this.
SpokyDaBear should run for Mayor!
gmorton on February 15 at 9:12 a.m.
Drywitt2000 wrote,
“Over the course of the past 14 months we STA riders have willingly accepted a 50% increase in fares.
“And guess what…….we did so WITHOUT BITCHING OR WHINING.”
Great. Another 300% increase and you’ll actually be paying your own way. Then all of us who are buying your free lunch won’t be whining either.
acbergeman on February 15 at 9:12 a.m.
Did you watch the City Council meeting.
What is really amazing is on one hand the city decides to increase revenue via license tab fees $20 per car to pay for the streets, which I am in favor of BTW… having streets maintained. However why does a cement truck pay $20 and a Prius pay the same, Joe Shogun, city council president indicated life isn’t fair. Give me a break. The odd thing is that other hand. City officials are meeting today to decide if non-profit businesses should be exempt from business licensing. With one hand the city council takes and the other hand the city gives. Who pays the bills!
gmorton on February 15 at 9:16 a.m.
Drywitt2000 wrote,
“Why should 10% of the tab fee go to sidewalk maintenance?
“BECAUSE once you motorists park your cars……you gotta get from the parking lot to your business somehow.”
Well, that one wins the *non sequiter* prize of the day. When you get off your subsidzed bus you also use the sidewalks. Where is the tax on your (already subsidized) bus fare to cover your share of sidewalk maintenance?
gmorton on February 15 at 9:40 a.m.
jimvw2 wrote,
“It’s amazing how the mean-spirited and self-centered surface and spew their venom whenever there’s a little stress in the economy.”
Yes. People tend to be less tolerant of pickpockets and other free lunchers when they are already broke.
“Public services cost money. The federal and state governments don’t have any to give us because these anti-tax freeloaders helped elect robots who extended the Bush tax cuts.”
LOL! That is a howler. You are whining that someone else will not give you a handout, but call those who rebuff you “freeloaders.” I think you’re a bit confused. The freeloader is the person *seeking* the handout, not the person who refuses you one.
” … local governments are on their own, dealing with the consequences of these same whiner’s goofy perceptions of their self interest.”
Yes. They are on their own. That was the plan – the states have ample authority to fund their own local projects, and no need for federal handouts. Nor do the feds have any constitutional authority to offer it.
“There’s a reason the citizens of our sister cities live longer and have free access to health care. It’s called responsible citizenship.”
No. It’s called “free lunch politics.” There is no such thing as “free” health care. There is only health care that someone else has paid for. The *responsible* person is the one who does not expect others to underwrite his existence.
“Instead they are taking responsibility to solve local problems with local resources.”
Nice gloss. Actually they are solving pedestrians’ problems with *auto user* resources. You don’t get to hide the discrepancy between the group who benefits from the sidewalks and the group expected to pay for them by lumping them all under “local resources.”
johnclarke on February 15 at 9:42 a.m.
Spokane can’t afford it’s Fire Department, plain and simple.
bez233 on February 15 at 9:46 a.m.
Washington has the highest gas tax and according to the WSDOT budget chart, when we purchase a gallon of gas – 11 cents of each gallon is suppose to go to city roads.
The average driver drives an average of 15,000 miles per year.
The average vehicle gets 20mpg =
750 gallons of gas used per year by the average driver,
multiply by the amount of money that each gallon of gas is paid into the “city fund” (.11cents) that would equal
$82.50 taxed per year per vehicle for city roads (this does not include the rest of the gas tax). Multiply that number by
132,284 vehicles registered in Spokane – (this does not include trucks, planes, trains and other vehicles visiting from out of town or driving through using our roads)
that by itself comes to a minimum of $10.913430 which is much more than the amount being received from the state.
What I am trying to convey is the simple fact that all the gas tax monies we are paying out for roads are not staying here and that we the people and their representatives need to let Olympia know that we want the monies that we are being taxed, to stay here. Yet we are becoming taxed heavier and heavier with fewer and fewer services. So to pay for roads by adding more taxes to the phone bill, etc. and now trying to attack vehicle tabs for more and more and more is wrong.
toliveanddieinla on February 15 at 10:08 a.m.
i think its funny that council doesnt know that most people with a brain will register outside the city like at brothers , sisters or friends address , bingo you dont have to pay the 20 dollars if they want more money for roads get from the unions they fricking way overpaid punks. p.s. council and mary verner need to be impeached and dumped into garbage they fricking trash.tyvm have a nice day
spokanecougar on February 15 at 10:23 a.m.
Maybe if we quit giving tax cuts to the uber wealthy we wouldn’t have to have this car tab fee. All you stupid teabaggers bitching and complaining about this fee is because you idiot teabaggers think its ok to not tax the rich, not tax giant corporations like oil companies and Wall Street banks. When the country, states, counties and cities see a drop from their tax base because you greedy tea bagging idiots don’t want to pay a dime for anything, fees like this start popping up because the country, states, counties and cities need to pay to fix roads and maintain basic services somehow. How hard is this to understand for you people? Do some research before posting rambling idiot statements and you would see how much the state and city have already cut back during the recession……but then that would require you dummies to actually do some work and maybe actually learn something which would mean you wouldn’t be able to complain and whine about everything.
Also, yes, I hope the whiners on here go move somewhere else and see what they pay for their car tabs, you people will be in for a shock when most states pay up to $50 and $100 and more. I also hear the southeast with all those red neck, fat, idiot conservatives down there will be perfect for people like Daisy and Gmorton because they are also a bunch of whiny little babies who hate paying anything. And you know what, because of that the south also has the worst education rates, the worst obesity rates, worse health care services and those states are the poorest and some of the most debt ridden in the country. Sorry, I have no problem paying taxes to maintain my city and state so it does not turn into the Southeast, but if people like Daisy and Gmorton like that, please move there and stop complaining about my city and state because I have NO problem paying these things.
Orange on February 15 at 10:32 a.m.
Consider much higher fines for over-weight loads and a special (obscenely high) tax for all studded snow tires which are significant contributors to our damaged streets (that are going to hell according to Shogan)
lbeelaert on February 15 at 10:36 a.m.
Is this right ? the city builds a questionable parking garage at River Park Square with the Coles family and it is a financial failure and legal night mare.
A token, Mayor West, approves a settelment that takes the parking meter revenue, once used for street maintenance, and driects it to pay for the garage. Streets go without work.
Now the current city council wants to tax us $20.00 a vehicle to pay for the streets. ($140.00 in my case) which have been neglected.
Where is the responsibilty for this ?
nslopeofw on February 15 at 10:37 a.m.
Spokanecougar-
Are you really that stupid? Us “rich”? What a maroon! Everyone got the tax structure extended, not raised like Obama wanted. And of course your teabagger slam is for anyone who believes in keeping what they EARN, instead of giving it to deadbeats who dont EARN.
I kind of hope all the freeloaders move somewhere else, so Spokane can be a productive, earning society, instead of a freeloader city.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on February 15 at 10:52 a.m.
I was under the impression that the homeowner was fully responsible for the care and maintenance of the sidewalks adjacent to their property…. ie broken or cracked or raised sidewalk needs to be made safe for the pedestrians that walk in front of your house. Am I correct here? John
Coffee on February 15 at 10:58 a.m.
The money that is generated by the tax has to be used by law for the street repair, but and it is a big but the moneys that are normally allocated to street repair can be move back to the general fund and used for what ever they want. I am betting we will see a net zero increase in street repair funds.
johnclarke on February 15 at 10:59 a.m.
Yes, lbeelaert that’s about right. The parking revenue from downtown parking meters pays for that RPS parking garage.
soccermomsusie on February 15 at 11:18 a.m.
I know you would think I would be against this tab tax, but I kinda like it for these reasons:
1. Your Yugo pays the same tab fees as my Hummer - no more socialistic class warfare on people God loves the best.
2. A sidewalk maintenance fee will get the do-gooders off my back. I can tell them “I pay for this sidewalk, I can darn well park my Hummer on it.”
3. Fuel for the UN resistance. This tax will really rally the troops. Nancy McLaughlin and George McGrath are probably in our Tea Party bunker right now plotting the counterstrike. YES!!!
Wait a minute, I think I feel the righteous anger beginning to brew!!! Tea Partiers join me in a protest!!! Let’s throw license plates and cans of tab soda into the river at noon! This will give Snyder and the other do-gooders something to pick up during their river clean up troll-fest this spring.
SHOGUNNNNNNNNNN! (I get my husband to say this in his best Colonel Klink voice. It always cracks me up).
HEAR OUR VOICE!!!!
Teseract on February 15 at 12:00 p.m.
Yay a sidewalk maintenance fund. Maybe the city will dig up the perfectly good sidewalk in front of my house again and leave me unable to park in my own driveway or in front of my house for a month like last summer.
ginniet on February 15 at 12:03 p.m.
True, $20/year by itself isn’t that big of a deal, but when you add it to all the other increases (Avista, gas prices, food prices, etc.), it just adds insult to injury, especially when they don’t do a good job constructing the roads in the first place, so they have to keep repairing them! Have you ever seen how many people are standing around doing very little on a road construction crew?
And yes, $20 is less than a tank of gas, but for some people that tank of gas might be the difference in getting to work one day or not. And for those of you bus riders who proclaim that we car drivers could just take the bus, just because someone’s address is in the city of Spokane doesn’t mean that they’re covered by bus service. I work on Market Street, north of Francis, and there’s no bus service up here!
Dazzeetrader11 on February 15 at 12:12 p.m.
Citizens being overrun by the people who allegedly work for them. Guess what? They work for themselves.not you!
Change is coming.
New_Improved_Drywitt2000 on February 15 at 12:33 p.m.
At 2:23am Daisy proclaims:
“Not much more to say.”
And yet at 12:12 pm she’s back whining.
Liar LIAR orange spandex pants on fire!!
Dazzeetrader11 on February 15 at 12:54 p.m.
After reading your posts and the complete absence of logic….Mr NITWitt..I thought it might be good to summarize.
I don’t think many understand that verner already has the money to perform without taxing. She’s simply trying to cover her tracks before someone calls her on it and it becomes an election issue for her.
It’s just a shell game. She’s negotiating with the 4 idiots who voted for the tab tax last night. Bikes and trees with high salries for her friends. It’s her vs the citizens now. She just doesn’t want the citizens to figure it out.
If the citizens only knew…….
eagleproducer on February 15 at 12:59 p.m.
Just change the address on your car registration to that of a friend or relative who lives in the unincorporated areas of the county. That way you don’t have to pass emissions either!
New_Improved_Drywitt2000 on February 15 at 1:10 p.m.
Daisy pontificates:
“Change is coming.”
Sweetie…..this is Spokane.
When it comes to the mayor’s office…..we got change in spades.
Every four years…..since you bought you first legal drink.
And how’s THAT working out for you??
Not the drinking……but constant turn-over……constant infusion of new blood.
A curative tonic for the local body politic!!
Rand on February 15 at 1:47 p.m.
Spokanecougar you should demand a refund from WSU.
Dazzeetrader11 on February 15 at 1:58 p.m.
DimWitt….you must grow a brain son. Till then…you go drink. Daisy doesn’t.
Ron_the_Cop on February 15 at 2:12 p.m.
Ibeelaert and Johnclarke,
Re your parking meter revenue, Johnclarke is correct see my post in the other thread:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/feb/14/spokane-creates-20-vehicle-tab-tax/?comments#c260283
… Your parking meter revenue from Downtown should go to repairing the streets. It doesn’t. All goes to repaying the bond debt of RPS Bond Fraud II of some $43M or about $2M per year. This doesn’t include almost $1M in general fund revenue that goes to paying for collecting from and servicing the parking meters. And bottom line we don’t even now own the RPS Parking Garage. The current street repair bond is touted as a ten year program but the debt extends out to 20 years and they’re working up to do another round again. Not that I don’t like the repair of intersections in dire need but at least be honest with the people.
acbergeman on February 15 at 2:36 p.m.
The problem is not the $20 fee, the problem is we are all unhappy with how city services are administered. When citizens get involved we start to question why it’s done this way and we don’t like that there is no answer. We also wonder why do special interests get special treatment. The root of the problem is much bigger than the $20 dollar fee it’s lack of effective city government and city management. Let’s look at the root cause and fix it.
No one even notice the comment that today there is a staff meeting involving the Tax and Licensing Division at the city that could decide if non-profit businesses will be exempt from business license fees. That reduces revenue!!! Most of you should be out raged over this. These same non-profit businesses compete with for profit businesses. The city’s reasoning for looking at this is “other cities do it this way” and that a non-profit business questioned why they werer required to have a business license after operting over 32 years without one. They don’t mind paying the fee provided it could be called anything other than a business license fee. Because there are deed restrictions that prevent a business from operating on that property and they know it.
I do take exception to Joe Shogan remark that you should pay for their neighbors license fee if they can’t pay it themselves. There should be a better solution than that. Joe, Joe, Joe… can I call you Joe? Also did you notice Mr. Shogun refered to the Comp Plan as LAW. Tell that to those you have argued the same point. They were told the building plan trumpts the Comp Plan.
Shadedmuse on February 15 at 3:13 p.m.
I say come november lets give city hall to the tea-baggers, and when they gut and cut everything from roads to libarys to transit to police and fire, then we can rebuild a new city from the ashes they destroyed. I for one say the 20 dollors should be spent on Public transit and not roads, why should we keep encouraging people to drive instead lets taxs the drivers andd spend the money on public transit and this fee should be applied county wide since transit runs county wide and this includes Spangle and Deer park-Riverside-Chatteroy-Cobert-Mead the free loaders of the county.
acbergeman on February 15 at 3:26 p.m.
I love your idea Shademuse, $20 for Public transit. Would you please run for city council… Please!
Shadedmuse on February 15 at 3:31 p.m.
It would be better to run for County Comish, because that is where you need to imliment a county wide tab fee for all of Spokane County.
soccermomsusie on February 15 at 3:32 p.m.
John Clarke’s logic is as solid as his grammar and spelling!!!!
HEAR OUR VOICE!!!!
DickAdams on February 15 at 3:44 p.m.
Gus, yes sidewalk repair or replacement is the responsibility of the owner. Maybe the fat cats receiving tax exemptions may have their sidewalks replaced and not charge them? Who knows why they insisted on sidewalk money in the $20. Seems to me the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing but both hands are in our pockets. The sidewalk money will be used for those who can`t afford it. Surely we can hinder those poor folks traveling to the Casinos.
eagleproducer on February 15 at 3:59 p.m.
I have finally seen the light.
If one listens to conservatives it is the poor who are to blame for all our problems.
So why aren’t they working to eradicate poverty?
Blondscence on February 15 at 4:58 p.m.
Soon enough the people will understand how abused they’ve been. Although I like Mary, she’s done a terrible job as Mayor.
Continued abuse of the public trust. Last week, it became known she has over $315 million in funds available and unencumbered right now. She could use this money but continues to raise fees and taxes. She shouldn’t be re-elected.
Rand on February 15 at 7:09 p.m.
Shadedmuse that is a great plan. You should give $20 to public transportation.
DavidBray on February 15 at 7:17 p.m.
The costs of owning a car: (required)
-sales tax when you buy one
-drivers license and renewal of same
-auto registration fees (every year)
-smog test fees
-maintenance fees (tires, tuneups, repairs, etc.)
-insurance fees
-fuel taxes
-parking fees (city and/or county)
Probably more I can’t think of. Like semi-truck drivers! (Holy cow!!)
Businesses who benefit from vehicle owners:
-Gas stations
-body shops
-repair shops
-tire shops
-paint shops
-parts stores
-auto accessory stores that carry a multitude of items
-private parking facilities
-tow companies
-auto clubs
-builders (garages)
and this list could include a heck of a lot more.
If not for the contributions of vehicle owners the economy of all levels of government in this country would be working with a lot less in their coffers. Literally hundreds of billions less!
So now this idiotic and unappreciative Spokane city council wants to penalize us $20 more per vehicle to support their inability to manage a budget like the rest of us.
Damn!
PlanB on February 15 at 8:29 p.m.
I predict the $20 tax will result in no road improvements, but more ‘special emphasis patrols’ to keep us safe.
Near as I can tell, no real action has been taken to reduce the bloated parts of city government (police and fire). As others have noted, special interest groups rule. But I will get to make an additional $20 contribution for the car I drive 100 miles per year. Because as plain old citizens, we have no voice.
lewis8457 on February 15 at 9:10 p.m.
The main point as I see it is will they use the extra 20 bucks for roads? It has already been shown several times already in this thread there is a ton of money for roads. I know the roads have been bad since I started driving 37 years ago and in the 90’s when we lived in Portland we knew we were home when we hit the first pot hole. So it is a Spokane thing, they tell us it is for roads and when we turn our heads and cough it it is used for something more important, like appeasing the police when they cant get their 5 grand a month raises we give them million dollar awards for being so understanding.
So the problem has been here for along time. I think as long as the city and county will be doing street repair we will always have the problem.
The method they use to fill the potholes would be funny if it wasn’t costing us so damn much money. Incompetence seems to reign supreme in the Spokane city street department.
If you had all the money you need would you really just throw hot asphalt in a wet hole and damp it down with your boot?
No you would dry the hole using a fancy hot air blower like Mary Verner then have a nice umbrella so it didn’t get wet before you pour some hot tar and some nice hot asphalt to be damped with a hydraulic press. And then you can sit on your as for 5 minutes waiting for it to cool before moving onto the next one.
gmorton on February 15 at 11:44 p.m.
spokanecougar wrote,
“Sorry, I have no problem paying taxes to maintain my city and state so it does not turn into the Southeast . . .”
Great. Then I’m sure you’ll email all the Council members and let them know you’re willing to pay an extra penny in sales tax to fix sidewalks, rather than shifting that cost to auto users, who probably use the sidewalks less than you do.
Right?
gmorton on February 15 at 11:57 p.m.
Shadedmuse wrote,
“I for one say the 20 dollors should be spent on Public transit and not roads . . .”
Whose $20? $20 from the persons who use public transit, or from persons who don’t use it, such as auto users?
Looking for a free lunch, eh Shadedmuse?
gmorton on February 16 at 12:11 a.m.
Spoketucky wrote,
“So why aren’t they working to eradicate poverty?”
Because that is not their job. It is yours, if you are poor. You are the only person who can eradicate your own poverty, by altering your lifestyle, improving your education, acquiring marketable skills, giving up the booze and dope that make you unemployable, refraining from bringing children into the world you can’t support, staying out of jail, etc.
Your life is your responsibility, not the responsibility of the State or “conservatives.”