Street-Repair Plan Loses Momentum After Sta Says No Legislators Wavering On Proposal To Help Pay For City Street Repairs

Proposals to allow Spokane Transit Authority to help pay for local street repairs are running out of gas in the Capitol.

Sen. Eugene Prince, R-Thornton, said Thursday he doubts a bill letting public transit systems contract for street repairs will pass out of his Transportation Committee.

In the House, Mark Sterk, R-Spokane Valley, said he is having second thoughts about his companion bill.

“I just don’t think there’s a lot of support around here, at least I haven’t found any, to take money away from STA,” Sterk said.

Their comments came a day after STA’s governing board refused to endorse the legislation.

STA has about $33 million in its reserve account, which it uses for self-insurance, alternative fuels conversions and equipment purchases.

Spokane city officials have lobbied heavily for the bills, saying they need about $6.5 million more per year to keep crumbling streets in good shape.

Under the bills, the city couldn’t enlist STA’s help unless the transit board first approved a contract to help provide street repair work.

“A contract has a willing buyer and a willing seller,” said Sen. Jim West, R-Spokane, who sponsors the Senate bill.

But Mike Brewer, a member of the Spokane City Council and STA board, said he opposes the bills because the STA board could be manipulated into approving the contracts.

“Suppose (mayor) Jack Geraghty had taken me off the transit board, knowing my intent,” Brewer said. “He could have stacked the deck.”

Brewer’s vote against endorsing the proposals on Wednesday tipped the scales. He joined four small-town mayors in refusing to endorse the legislation. Four other city and county officials supported the proposals.

Brewer said the bills would change the financing system voters established when they approved creating STA in 1981.

“If the people of the city of Spokane really wanted their streets fixed they would have voted for the bond issue,” Brewer said, referring to the $37 million road-repair plan rejected last year.

Rep. Duane Sommers, who cosigned Sterk’s bill, suggested a way to increase the state transportation budget, rather than allowing cities to tap into the transit money.

The Spokane Republican said the House might look at limiting the amount of motor vehicle excise tax revenue given to transit systems and add the rest to the transportation budget.

Several other transit systems throughout the state also have large reserve accounts. STA estimates it will receive about $13.6 million in motor vehicle excise tax revenue this year.

“It’s not the big fix we need but it could help,” Sommers said. “If you get enough of these smaller amounts you won’t need a gas tax increase or you won’t need as big of one.”

West and Prince said they haven’t considered the idea. , DataTimes