Former Seattle city councilmember calls out proposed $1.55B transportation levy

(The Center Square) – Former Seattle City Councilmember Alex Pedersen is calling out the proposed Seattle transportation tax levy amended by current city councilmembers for being too much of a burden on property owners.

The Select Committee on the 2024 Transportation Levy is set to vote on potential transportation levies that could range from $1.55 billion to $1.7 billion. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s original bill set a price tag of $1.45 billion over eight years.

Committee Chair Rob Saka’s amended levy proposal increased Harrell’s original bill to $1.55 billion, which would cost a median homeowner in Seattle approximately $546 a year if passed.

Pedersen – the former chair of Seattle’s Transportation Committee from 2020 to 2023 – does not believe Saka’s amended proposal properly addresses traffic concerns and transportation infrastructure efficiently for the proposed price tag.

“No matter how politicians at city hall try to sugarcoat their expensive amendments, the sad reality remains: the largest tax in Seattle’s history will be much worse for everyone because costs will exceed $500 every year for most families,” Pedersen said in a statement to The Center Square. “Why would anyone in Seattle want to pay more than $500 each year to let city hall politicians worsen traffic congestion, tear up our roads, and leave bridges in dangerous condition?”

There is an alternative levy proposal up for a vote on Tuesday from the Select Committee on the 2024 Transportation Levy sponsored by Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales. However, it is likely to be less favorable to Pedersen.

Morales’ proposal has a total levy size of $1.7 billion over eight years. This would cost a homeowner of a median value Seattle home approximately $594, or $48 more than Saka’s proposal.

Pedersen said the Seattle City Council should have broken down the $1.55 billion – $1.7 billion proposals into “bite-size pieces” and found more equitable sources of funding for transportation.

“It’s as if Seattle politicians are stumbling into a bar to buy drinks almost no one wants and then trying to grab more than $500 every year from everyone’s wallet to pay for their transportation turmoil: expensive projects that will increase traffic congestion, fail to repave most roads, and neglect most bridges,” said Pedersen.

The two transportation levy proposals are set to be voted on during the Select Committee on the 2024 Transportation Levy on Tuesday.