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RESOLUTION No. 5559 <br /> A RESOLUTION <br /> Urging the <br /> 2005 Washington State Legislative <br /> to address funding for <br /> municipal transportation infrastructure <br /> WHEREAS, the City of Everett and other Washington cities face the challenge of <br /> Maintaining their aging transportation infrastructure at the same time the road capacity <br /> and mobility needs for their communities continue to grow; and <br /> WHEREAS, the transportation funding challenge for the City is made even more acute <br /> by the fact that Everett is Snohomish County's largest city, a regional employment hub <br /> and the center of commerce <br /> WHEREAS, meeting these local funding challenges has become more difficult given: <br /> • The loss of the $15 Motor Vehicle Fee with the passage of Initiative 776, <br /> • Declining gas tax receipts. The Legislature has not authorized new gas <br /> tax distributions for cities since 1990, while the buying power of the <br /> existing gas tax has declined 40%over the past decade because of new <br /> incorporations, more fuel-efficient vehicles, etc. <br /> • The State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB), a major funding <br /> partner, likewise, has not received new gas tax dollars since 1990. <br /> • A poor economy and declining local revenues necessitated reductions in <br /> City contributions to overlay and maintenance programs. <br /> • State Supreme Court decisions invalidated some local transportation <br /> funding options. <br /> WHEREAS, the last comprehensive action by the Legislature to provide local funding <br /> and options for transportation funding was in 1990, when lawmakers authorized four <br /> additional transportation funding mechanisms: (1) local option fuel tax, (2) commercial <br /> parking tax, (3) street utility fee, and (4) vehicle license fee; and <br /> WHEREAS, fourteen years later, these sources either lack viability or have been <br /> invalidated through court decisions, initiatives or both; and <br /> WHEREAS, as the condition of the transportation infrastructure deteriorates the repair <br /> or replacement cost become significantly more expensive, effectively doubling in every <br /> 10 to 15 years; and <br /> WHEREAS, The cost to the public in terms of congestion, safety, pollution and traffic <br /> delay adversely affects quality of life, business and commerce, and the environment; <br /> and <br />