HomeMy WebLinkAbout1632RESOLUTIONNO. /&,3;2__
A RESOLUTION of the city council of the City
of Kent, Washmgton, mdJ.catmg support for Referendum
51, the statewide transportatiOn mvestment package on
the November 2002, general-electiOn ballot
WHEREAS, the city of Kent and Its residents and busmesses rely
heavily on a transportatiOn system of state and federal highways and key regiOnal and
state roadway comdors, and
WHEREAS, the city of Kent and the Kent valley economy, which host
tens of thousands of Jobs and which compnse the second-largest concentratiOn of
warehouse and hght mdustnal space on the West Coast, IS heavily dependent on a
functiomng transportation system, and
WHEREAS, the city's regwn's transportatiOn system has become
mcreasingly congested m recent years due to rapid populatiOn and employment growth
and msuffic1ent mvestrnent m transportation mfrastructure, and
WHEREAS, growmg congestiOn on State Route 167, Interstate 5
segments m South Kmg County, the Kent Des-Momes Road, East and West Valley
Highways, and other key transportatiOn comdors make Kent a regular part of the
mormng and evenmg traffic reports, while lengthemng commutes and delaymg cntical
freight movements through and around the city, and
I Referendum 51
WHEREAS, congestiOn and traffic growth have made Kmg County
freeways and h1ghways the second most congested m the country, w1th two nnllwn
more vehicles bemg added to those roads over the past twenty (20) years, costmg an
estimated $2 b1lhon a year m lost time due to delays, and
WHEREAS, a v1v1d IllustratiOn of the congestion and delay came w1th
the recent "Valley Econonnc Engme" study comm1sswned by the Kent Chamber of
Commerce and the c1ty, wh1ch showed a 44% mcrease between 1997 and 2000 m the
travel time for movmg fre1ght between the Kent valley and the Port of Seattle, and an
even more dramatic 65% mcrease m travel time between the Kent valley and the Port
of Tacoma dunng that same three-year penod, and
WHEREAS, g1ven th1s growmg level of traffic congestion -
particularly m Kent, South Kmg County, the Puget Sound regwn as a whole, and the
state overall - a s1gmficant mcrease m cap1tal mvestment by the state 1s clearly
necessary, and
WHEREAS, the need for state mvestment was borne out by the two-
year rev1ew of a Blue Rtbbon Comm1sswn on TransportatiOn, whtch 1dent1fied
between $50 b1lhon and $150 b1lhon m unfunded transportatiOn needs m the State of
Washmgton that w1ll not be addressed w1thout new state revenue; and
WHEREAS, state revenues for transportatiOn have e1ther remamed
stagnant or m some cases decreased, as Illustrated by a state gas tax that has stayed at
23 cents for more than a decade and a Motor Veh1cle Exc1se Tax (MVET) that was
reduced by $750 mtlhon a year by recent voter-approved m1tlatlves, and
2 Referendum 51
WHEREAS, m 2002, Kent JOmed w1th the Kent Chamber of
Commerce, other busmess orgamzatwns, labor groups, enVIronmental groups, other
governmental agencies, and mterested citizens to urge the Legislature to take bold
actwn to tackle the transportation cns1s m Puget Sound and across the state, and
WHEREAS, Kent requested that any transportation package mclude
proJect fundmg for SR-509, the 228th freight comdor, 1-5 HOV lane completwn m
South Kmg County, the I-5/272"d mterchange, the 405/167 mterchange, SR-167 Itself,
and progranmiahc fundmg for a) Cities and counties to receive a local share of new
gas tax revenue; b) the Transportation lmprovement Board; and c) the Freight
Mobility Strategic Investment Board, and
WHEREAS, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6347, the transportation
budget and mvestment package passed by the Legislature and placed on the November
2002, general electwn ballot m the form of Referendum 51 ("R-51"), mcludes fundmg
for all of the aforementwned Kent and South Kmg County proJect and program
pnontJes noted above, as well as fundmg for the state's role m ass1stmg regional
transit, and
WHEREAS, the R-51 package contains efficiencies, reforms, and
accountability measures, man effort to respond to the public's legitimate concern that
taxpayer money should be wisely spent, tracked, and responsibly measured over time
for results; and
WHEREAS, the R-51 state transportation mvestrnent package IS largely
financed through user fees, meanmg those who dnve cars and trucks on the system,
and those who buy new or used automobiles that add to the number of velncles on our
roads and lnghways, are the ones who pay for the Improvements through gas taxes, a
gross-weight fee on trucks, and an auto sales tax surcharge, and
3 Referendum 51
WHEREAS, the R-51 mvestment package ts a $7 8 btlhon down-
payment on traffic congesllon problems, bottlenecks, and transportatwn mfrastrucllrre
whtch would cost the taxpayers more m meffictency and delay than through the taxes
and fees estabhshed m the btll, NOW THEREFORE,
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENT, WASHINGTON
DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS·
SECTION I. The mayor and ctty counctl do hereby provtde thetr
endorsement of the R-51 transportatwn mvestment package, urgmg the ctllzens of
Kent to cast an affirmallve vote on thts measure as a key tool toward retammg Kent's
economtc vttahty and quahty ofhfe.
SECTION 2. Effectlve Date Tlus resolutwn shall take effect and be
m force munedtately upon tts passage
PASSED at a regular open pubhc meellng by the ctty counctl of the Ctty
ofKent, Washmgton, tlus 1s-day of ([)~ ,2002
CONCURRED m by the mayor of the ctty of Kent thts I G. day of
{)~ ,2002
.....
ATTEST
~~~ BRENDA JACOBER, Y CLERK
: .:.
4 Referendum 51
APPROVED AS TO FORM
TOM BRUBAKER, CITY ATTORNIW
I hereby certifY that !Ius IS a true and correct copy of Resolution No
,/?.3.?-passed by the City Council of the City of Kent, Washmgton, the !5 day
of co~ ,2002
P \CJVtl\Resolutlon\Referendum51 doc
5 Referendum 51