CITY OF BURIEN, WASHINGTON

RESOLUTION NO. 204

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURIEN, WASHINGTON, SEEKING STATE LEGISLATIVE ACTION TO ADDRESS FUNDING FOR MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.

WHEREAS, Burien shares with other Washington cities the converging challenges of maintaining an aging transportation infrastructure while also attempting to expand mobility resources for neighborhoods, business investment, economic vitality and future development; and

WHEREAS, these challenges are compounded by the erosion of viable funding resources for transportation even as the needs for funding intensify; for example:  during the 14-year period since 1990, cities have lost transportation revenue sources; in 1995, the Supreme Court ruled Seattle’s Residential Street Utility Fee unconstitutional and more recently, cities lost the Vehicle License Fee due to the passage of Initiative 776; fuel tax revenues have declined at an average rate of almost 4% per year (inflation adjusted dollars) due to the restrictive structuring of that revenue source; and

WHEREAS, cities’ options for transportation revenues are limited at this time, while the demand for transportation infrastructure maintenance and improvement is growing; and

WHEREAS, Washington’s municipalities do not have sufficient viable funding mechanisms to implement adequate and appropriate user fees for transportation improvements; and

WHEREAS, the last comprehensive action by the Legislature to provide local options for transportation funding was in 1990; and

WHEREAS, at that time, the Legislature, recognizing the need for local transportation funding, authorized four mechanisms:  (1) local option fuel tax, (2) commercial parking tax, (3) street utility fee, and (4) vehicle license fee; and

WHEREAS, fourteen years later, none of these sources has become a viable mainstay for local transportation funding; and

WHEREAS, as the condition of the transportation infrastructure deteriorates, the cost becomes significantly more expensive for repair or replacement, effectively doubling in every 10 to 15 years; and

WHEREAS, the cost to the public extends beyond these direct costs in the form of impacts on the quality of life, on the business investment climate, and on the ability to travel without facing delays, detours and congestion; and

WHEREAS, a recent report from the Citizens’ Transportation Advisory Committee found that Seattle’s backlog of deferred infrastructure maintenance is currently about $500 million and would require additional funding in the range of $40 to $50 million annually to provide for current maintenance and reduce the backlog over the next 20 years; and

WHEREAS, many other cities face similar problems;

NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY BURIEN, WASHINGTON, HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1.  The City of Burien calls upon the Governor and the Legislature to provide new and appropriate funding tools that may be administered at the municipal level to pay for transportation infrastructure.

Section 2.  The City of Seattle calls upon the Governor and the Legislature to provide additional direct funding, generated by the State, for municipal transportation infrastructure.

Section 3.  The City of Burien encourages other Washington municipalities to join in this call by passing similar resolutions as a means of conveying the severity and urgency of the situation.

ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURIEN, WASHINGTON, AT A REGULAR MEETING THEREOF THIS 1^ST DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2004.

CITY OF BURIEN

/s/ Mayor Noel Gibb

ATTEST/AUTHENTICATED:

/s/ Janice Roegner, City Clerk

Approved as to form:

/s/ Lisa Marshall, City Attorney

Filed with the City Clerk: October 27, 2004

Passed by the City Council: November 1, 2004

Resolution No. 204