Constantine praises House action on local government funding bill

April 17, 2009

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Metropolitan King County Council Chair Dow Constantine issued the following statement regarding the passage of ESSB 5433 by the state House of Representatives:

“I commend the Washington State House of Representatives on the passage of ESSB 5433. I appreciate the efforts of many representatives, and bill sponsor Sen. Debbie Regala, to open doors of partnership between King County and the State, and to provide tools for King County to address its financial challenges in a responsible manner.

“This legislation gives King County greater flexibility to use existing revenues where they will do the most good, rather than requiring these funds be spent on lower priority programs. For example, money collected through the one-tenth of one percent sales tax for mental health and drug treatment cannot currently be used to fund our innovative and money-saving Drug Court and Mental Health Court programs, which are in danger of being shut down. That doesn't make any sense. These innovative approaches help people get the treatment they need, keep them from committing crimes, and save taxpayer dollars in the long run.

“I was also pleased with State Rep. Geoff Simpson’s successful amendment to provide for a $20 local-option, voter-approved vehicle fee to fund transit. We need local options to fund transit that don’t rely on overused, regressive taxes such as property and sales tax.

“This bill does not solve all or even most of the problems. We still have an inadequate, unfair and volatile tax system. The Legislature simply must address that underlying reality. We must permanently tame the cost drivers that each year make it unaffordable to provide the level of service of the year before. And we must prioritize, deciding along with our cities and the state which services will be provided, who will provide them, and how will they be paid for.”