Most of us in Kirkland “get it”… The $54 billion ST3 measure passed. We in the ST3 taxation region are entitled to an honest appraisal price of our vehicles for ST3 license tab taxes.
I wrote both Rep. Roger Goodman and Rep. Larry Springer asking that they support a house bill that would appraise the value of vehicle tabs on “Kelly Blue Book” value rather than on the grossly inflated Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) formula.
Rep. Goodman did not respond to my letter. Rep. Springer did.
From reading Rep. Larry Springer’s email, it’s clear that the House Democrats are going to vote along party lines against fair vehicle appraisals.
A direct quote from Rep. Springer’s email was this: “We refuse to accept the House Republican proposal to simply eliminate the car tabs all together or to return to the Kelly Blue Book valuation. To do that would have damage the agency’s bond rating and result in higher financing costs.”
So, as I understand it, part of the ST3 financing was based on phony financial revenue figures from vehicle tabs that were not the true value of the vehicles. Sound Transit moved forward anyway and sold bonds. The Democratic Party in the House of Representatives is intent on protecting Sound Transit’s bond sale, honest or not.
If vehicle tab assessment is based on phony values of vehicles, then those that support such a position are phony too. Talk is cheap. It is not the job of our elected 45th District and 48th District representatives to protect the dishonest financing practices of the ST3 group.
The key road block to getting fair vehicle ST3 tab appraisals lies in the House Transportation Committee. Rep. Judy Clibborn (Democrat), chairman, can block the “Kelly Blue Book” vehicle tab legislation from coming to the floor of the house for a vote.
Contact Rep. Clibborn and demand that she allow a house floor vote on a “Kelly Book Book” appraisal method for the ST3 tab assessment.
Rep. Judy Clibborn
415 John L. O’ Brien Building
P. O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504
Contact Rep. Larry Springer and Rep. Roger Goodman and demand that they support a fair Kelly Blue Book evaluation of vehicles for the ST3 tabs.
Rep. Larry Springer (45th District)
132E Legislative Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504
Rep. Roger Goodman (45th District)
436B Legislative Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504
For those of you in the 48th District demand the same and contact Rep. Joan McBride and Rep. Vandana Slatter.
Rep. Joan McBride (48th District)
335 John L. O’Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504
Rep. Vandana Slatter (48th District)
336 John L. O’ Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504
In closing, how many of you would have voted YES for ST3 if you had been told up front that vehicle tab assessment taxes were not going to be based on the true value of your vehicle?
Oh, and by the way, the same ST3 group just determined that the I-90 bridge won’t hold the weight of the ST3 train; add another $227 million to fix that little mistake.
The ST3 project costs $52 billion dollars and will never arrive in south Kirkland until 2042. You in north Kirkland, sorry, you get nothing, you just get to pay much higher taxes. Finally, to make matters worse, many of us, myself included, will be dead before 2042 ever arrives.
Dave Condon, Kirkland
