City Council considers imposing a $20 vehicle license fee

By on November 16, 2010 in Opinion

The Kirkland City Council is considering imposing a $20 per vehicle license fee to help pay for road maintenance. If the city establishes a Transportation Benefit District (TBD), the council can impose the $20 per vehicle fee without voter approval. The fee would be collected at the time of vehicle renewal.

Be sure to vote in our license fee poll in the left sidebar.

Background

The City’s Street Division is responsible for the maintenance of over 150 miles of roadway. With annexation, there will be an additional 96.2 centerline miles of asphalt pavements.

In a 2010 Kirkland citizen opinion survey, eighty eight percent of the respondents rated street maintenance as important to very important. The survey also indicated a deficiency between citizens’ perception of Kirkland’s street conditions compared with the relative importance citizens put on street maintenance. That is, there is room for improvement to meet Kirkland’s expectations for street maintenance.

To sustain Kirkland’s street maintenance progams, the City Council has approved a four-tiered strategy for increasing transportation/roads funding levels: 1) Efficiencies; 2) Regulatory and Policy Changes; 3) Partnerships; and 4) New Revenue Sources. See details.

Due to reduced revenue and an increased inflation rate, funding for roadway repair and maintenance is in need of a reliable revenue source. The City Council is considering a revenue source that is authorized through a Transportation Benefit District (TBD) and funds transportation improvements through a vehicle registration fee.

Kirkland’s Pavement Condition Scores Drop

The City uses a Pavement Management System to track, assess, and prioritize street treatments that allow the City to maximize limited maintenance dollars. Through visual inspections of defects (e.g. cracking), road maintenance data and other information, a given roadway section within the City is rated using a software program that generates a Pavement Condition Index (PCI). The City’s goal is maintain its roadways at a 70 PCI rating.

In a “2008 State of the Streets” report to the City Council (February 2009) Kirkland’s PCI rating was 65. This PCI rating is a decline from 70 in 2005 and 67 in 2002.

As a point of reference, a newly paved roadway has a PCI of 100, and over time the PCI decreases depending on environmental and other factors. The City’s Pavement ratings were updated in the spring/summer of 2008 using the Pavement Management System. This rating process evaluatedd all of the same attributes that were evaluated in 2002 and 2005 thus allowing internally consistent and comparable results from year to year.

source: City of Kirkland

TBD has several revenue options subject to voter approval:

  • Property taxes – a 1-year excess levy or an excess levy for capital purposes;
  • Up to 0.2% sales and use tax;
  • Up to $100 annual vehicle fee or vehicle tolls.

TBD has two options not subject to voter approval:

  • Annual vehicle fee up to $20 which is collected at the time of vehicle renewal.
  • Transportation impact fees on commercial and industrial buildings.

About Rob Butcher

Editor and Scribbler of Kirkland Views.
View all posts by Rob Butcher →
  • Scott Brady

    During the annexation we pointed out that Kikrland’s road maintenance was not up to King County standards. We were ignored, probably because people don’t notice things until they are a problem…

    We also said that the City of Kirkland would raise fees and taxes on its new residents to pay for sub-standarad maintenance and over-spending on its existing infrastructure. We were insulted and made to look like a pack of anti-tax ruffians by proponents of annexation.

    Now it seems that two more things we said would happen have come to pass. Just on the heels of the budget shortfalls that we predicted, but that annexation proponents and the city council claimed would not happen.

    As soon as Seattle created a “transportation district” to tax its residents above their needs, I knew Kirkland would do the same. When will the city council use the money the collect for the purposes of government, (roads, police, fire) and not their own version social justice (tent cities, hope link, etc)?

  • Who’s listening now?

    Fine with me, I’ll just register my cars somewhere else

    Council went ahead with the annexation against the will of the Kirkland residents, now they need to figure out how to pay for it because I’m not going to.

    I would pay good money for a city council dunk tank.

    • http://kirklandviews.com Rob Butcher

      While your comment was in earnest, I think you also have a good idea with the dunk tank. I suggest that we host a “dunk a council member” fund raiser for one of the events we have around town like the Fourth of July (or other). Kirkland Views will sponsor the tank, council members can volunteer to be dunked and citizens can pony up a buck to help pay for the event.
      It would, of course, all be in good fun and support a cause that helps the community.
      Any Kirkland City Council members interested????