Drafter
Clerk 07/13/2011
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AN ORDINANCE relating to public transportation; adopting a congestion reduction plan to guide the expenditures of revenue collected from a proposed congestion reduction charge.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. The 2011 Washington state Legislature adopted Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5457, which became Chapter 373, Laws of Washington 2011, which amends chapter 82.80 RCW to provide the King County council with the authority to impose a congestion reduction charge of twenty dollars on vehicle registration renewals for two years to allow Metro transit to continue to provide the current level of transit service that helps reduce congestion and the corresponding burdens placed on local roads and highways.
2. Before imposing the charge, the legislation requires the completion of a congestion reduction plan that indicates how revenues from the charge are to be expended. The legislation also requires that revenues from the charge be expended in a manner consistent with the recommendations of the 2010 regional transit task force.
3. Approval of the congestion reduction plan and congestion reduction charge would enable Metro to avoid transit service cuts in the 2012-2013 biennium - cuts that could result in the loss of an estimated nine million passenger trips annually and lead to an associated increase in traffic congestion.
4. In 2010, the regional transit task force was convened to make recommendations regarding the policy framework for the Metro transit system.
5. Following seven months of intensive deliberations, the task force delivered its final recommendation report with the unanimous support of task force members. The recommendations in the task force report focused on the following areas:
A. Transparency and clarity: that the transit division should provide more transparency and clarity to the public on the agency's decision-making process and develop a set of performance measures and clear and transparent guidelines t...

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