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Longview/Kelso transportation tax passes

Saturday, November 8, 2008 10:21 AM PST

By Amy M.E. Fischer

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Longview and Kelso voters gave a thumbs up for public transportation by approving a small sales tax increase to fund the Community Urban Bus Service, according to unofficial election results posted Tuesday night.

More than 55 percent of voters said yes to the Cowlitz Transit Authority’s request for a sales tax increase of two-tenths of 1 percent, which amounts to two cents on a $10 purchase. Roughly 45 percent of voters opposed the measure.

“We weren’t really confident that it would pass,” CTA chairman Don Jensen said late Tuesday. “Now we can do some things. We were going broke.”

Without the sales tax hike, the bus service wouldn’t stay afloat for much longer, the CTA board has said. The bus service has been drawing down its reserves at a rate of about $500,000 a year ever since a 1999 state initiative slashed motor vehicle excise taxes, reducing CUBS’ revenue by 47 percent.

County Commissioner Axel Swanson, a CTA board member, called the apparent passage of the ballot measure “exciting.”

“I think it shows citizens’ concerns for progress,” he said. “I think most people understand a strong public transportation system is an important piece of local public infrastructure.”

If the initial election results hold true, CUBS’s total sales tax allotment would be three-tenths of 1 percent, and sales tax in Longview and Kelso would rise from 7.7 to 7.9 percent.

This would give CUBS roughly an extra $2 million in annual revenue needed to save the bus service and allow CUBS to expand routes and cut wait times from an hour to half an hour, thereby attracting new riders.

Two Longview car dealerships opposed the proposed tax hike because the county’s current sales tax of 8 percent on vehicle purchases is among the lowest in Washington. Managers at Bud Clary Chevrolet and Columbia Ford said if the measure passed, they could lose millions of dollars in business selling fleet vehicles to government agencies around the state and be forced to lay off employees.

Jensen said he sympathized with the car dealerships’ situation.

“As chairman of CUBS, I’m just ecstatic that it’s passing, but on the other side of the coin, I’m sorry that it might hurt some dealerships,” he said.

Jensen, a Longview City Councilman who also is chairman of Southwest Clean Air Agency, said the passage of the tax hike was especially important because “transit is going to be the wave of the future. It’s going to be a real challenge getting people out of their cars and into transit, but it’s going to eventually happen to clean up our air and make things better.”

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TJhere wrote on Nov 5, 2008 4:40 AM:

" Buses in longview / kelso get support, but fire protection in Castle Rock gets an overwhelming kick in the face...hmmm I don't understand this one.....I guess the assisted suicide passing makes sense then, if no aid comes you might as well take the pills.....sorry if I offend people but this election season has left me slightly disgruntled...I respect those that study the issues and vote their concience, but i have talked to too many people that are voting party and without stated reasons.... "

LJD wrote on Nov 5, 2008 5:01 AM:

" I would be willing to bet that Swanson or Jensen would rather walk than be caught riding CUBS. What a joke. I hope all that vote for another tax increase are ready to shell out more cash down the next time they purchase a car or truck. "

ltlgto wrote on Nov 5, 2008 6:55 AM:

" I'm glad to see it passed. Now CUBS needs to keep its promise of improving the system.
Smaller buses/vans and shorter turn around times would be a good place to start. Also, maybe they can quit calling the paratransit portion a burden. You can't be a bus system without it (legeally). "

kalama river resident wrote on Nov 5, 2008 7:01 AM:

" Just one more reason to take my business else where. "

No rose glasses wrote on Nov 5, 2008 7:03 AM:

" Like he said, spread the wealth around, raise taxes for a few to benifit, but we all have to pay. But narrow minded folks in the Castle Rock fire district, wouldn't come across with $$ to support the Aid & Fire protection. Stupid!!!!, Maybe just Ignorant-uneducated voters!! "

sayit wrote on Nov 5, 2008 8:31 AM:

" That's cool. With layoffs and shutdowns and no pay raises and a governor who loves to tax up the a-- now we have another tax to add on. Can't we get a break I know that some of you on food stamps don't worry about food but us working stiffs do. "

ratkins wrote on Nov 5, 2008 8:39 AM:

" Yee Haw! I hope this will enable the bus service to expand the routes to cover a larger area! I am looking forward to riding the bus! "

hopingforacostco wrote on Nov 5, 2008 8:40 AM:

" To all of those Gregoire bashers....this is one tax that you probably voted on so don't try blaming this on her! "

rs5 wrote on Nov 5, 2008 8:49 AM:

" And the bus schedule for Ryderwood is????? "

rest of the story wrote on Nov 5, 2008 9:13 AM:

" I don't understand the thinking of people like Don Jensen. How does he think that mass transit is the answer?? With the technology improving for Hybrids, true "plug in" technology being introduced by Toyota and Nissan in the next year or so, the soon to be on the market Chevy Volt which is supposed to be able to go 40 miles on a charge, the new Ford Fiesta that is supposed to get 40+mpg....I predict that mass transit will eventually only serve the disabled and elderly, and traffic will INCREASE. Those that are riding the bus now trying to be "green" by leaving their conventional cars at home, will take advantage of this new technology and get back into these new vehicles that have little or no emissions. If one can go back to a 10 or 20min commute driving a zero or near zero emission vehicle, vs. an hour or so on a bus, standing/walking in the rain at/to a bus stop, it does not take a rocket scientist to determine how people are going to choose. Social engineering has not worked in the Portland area, and I doubt it will work in Longview/Kelso. "

cheney119 wrote on Nov 5, 2008 9:21 AM:

" Kalama River Resident if $.02 on $10 will cause you to take my business else where. Then I have a couple suggestions on where you could go. There are some real business potential in some of these red states McCain won. How about West Virginia, you have the additional benefit of cousins being able to marry. How about Mississippi? There the educational level is the nations lowest and the obesity level is the highest. That's a great environment for business, Right? You need lots of handicapped parking though. You republicans have it pretty good in Washington this bluest of blue states. Plus you get to bitch 24/7, that's what you're best at. "

ltown wrote on Nov 5, 2008 9:41 AM:

" Wow paying for others to ride the bus so they don't have to come out of pocket for their own transportation. Who is going to pay for my gas or upgrades to my car Nobody thats what I thought! "

Viewpoint wrote on Nov 5, 2008 10:00 AM:

" One would think from TDN's articles on this issue that only car dealerships are affected by this tax. Oh,that's right, dealerships take out big ads in newspaper. Nevermind, my bad. "

rosy wrote on Nov 5, 2008 10:45 AM:

" Hey There, Sayit. I'm one of those on food stamps. I'm disabled and live alone. I pay rent and utilities. And let me tell you. On the seventy dollars of food stamps a month I get I'm living high on the hog. Yessir, steaks and lobster every night.

See you at supper. "

seriously wrote on Nov 5, 2008 11:02 AM:

" I understand people without other modes of transportation needing to get from point A to point B but to impose a sales tax increase on people who don't even use the system is stupid. Why couldn't they have increased the fares for those who actually ride the bus? Even if I wanted to use CUBS, I couldn't as it's not practical for me or my family. And the fact that this measure wasn't even on my ballot for me to vote on is ridiculous since this tax increase is going to affect me. All the more reason for me to shop in Portland. "

jon wrote on Nov 5, 2008 11:10 AM:

" Cheney119
What a highly enlightened, thoughtful, well thought out comment, just goes to show you what true liberal compassion is all about. Awsome! "

pangborn wrote on Nov 5, 2008 11:19 AM:

" The City scores big.

I'll not shop here except for non taxable items. "

biasmedia wrote on Nov 5, 2008 11:31 AM:

" just look at this election our world has changed to bad its not for the better "

lynth wrote on Nov 5, 2008 11:32 AM:

" Imagine how wealthy we would be if we paid a little bit of tax, $10 per month for a bus pass, and completely got rid of cars. No license, no upkeep, no car payments, no gasoline. Just a quiet clean world, and lots of places in which to go. Not only that... big-oil would no longer have us by the throat! "

KJM wrote on Nov 5, 2008 11:46 AM:

" Makes no sense to me to pay more taxes so we can have more empty buses.
I voted no. "

hopingforacostco wrote on Nov 5, 2008 12:06 PM:

" Rosy...if you are disabled, not working and on food stamps, I would think that you wouldn't be wasting your money on internet! If you weren't paying for internet, you should be able to pay more for a bus pass. "

GT SHT EM wrote on Nov 5, 2008 12:22 PM:

" Now the bus shelters can be used for catching a bus and not smoking shelters.The fact that people smoke right under the smoke free sign while elerly people stand in the rain afriad to confront these seedy looking charactors bothers me. "

WorkingClass wrote on Nov 5, 2008 2:11 PM:

" Now that this has passed how about adding the local mills to the routes and extending the schedules to match shift changes? "

Roudyruss wrote on Nov 5, 2008 6:16 PM:

" So since we all pay for the bus do we all get to ride it for free? "

FiscalConservative wrote on Nov 5, 2008 9:19 PM:

" I say, for those who want to ride that bus, LET THEM PAY TO RIDE THE BUS. I don't ride it, I shouldn't have to pay. I buy gas and pay my tax there.... Oh, I have an idea. I will live in my house, will everyone please pay my payment for me???? "

commenter wrote on Nov 5, 2008 9:28 PM:

" Ignorant people... Complaining that you can't afford anything because of 2 cents being added to every $10. Give me a break... And the whole foodstamp comments, last I checked there is no tax on food, so lay off the soda and beer. I don't use the bus service because I work too far away, but I voted yes in hopes that more people will utilize this service. I hope the CTA is smart about how and where they expand the service too. I bet if the service was expanded to include Industrial Way and other high employment areas, you would find more people willing to ride the bus. The reason the busses seem empty or filled with low income and elderly is because that is what they're catering to whether they intend to or not. With the size of our town, it is more convenient to drive to the store than to ride the bus. If the service catered to more working class then I'd bet more people would use it. You see more people using the transit system in larger cities because a: there are more people that work downtown where the busses run. b: there are more businesses for people to visit. c: the university in Portland is much larger than LCC and includes dorms and activities even after hours. The transit system here works, but it is just catering to specific individuals. It just needs to broaden it's accessibility. "

RTLL wrote on Nov 5, 2008 11:06 PM:

" Jensen says he "is sorry that it might hurt some dealerships".

Hurting the dealerships is not quite the whole point. If the county loses the $900,000 tax revenue then we'll all be sorry....not to mention possible jobs being lost.

Oh well, the people have spoken. I have nothing against the CUBS or the bus riders. Nor do I particularly favor car dealerships. I just wonder if everyone considered the risk before voting.

I sincerely hope my fears are not realized. "

bluestar wrote on Nov 6, 2008 8:19 AM:

" Maybe I am just ignorant, but as a Kelso resident, I am wondering why this was not on my ballot to vote on. Is it because I live outisde city limits? I cannot think of a single reason I should not have had the opportunity the vote on this. It affects my money spent (since I shop locally), shouldn't I have a say? "

DEH wrote on Nov 6, 2008 9:19 AM:

" bluestar~ I too live outside Kelso city limits and thought the same thing about not being able to vote on this. Just because the bus doesn't service me doesn't mean I don't shop at Longview/Kelso businesses. Where else would I shop on a regular basis? I now will get taxed more for something I can't even use and didn't get a say in voting about. Not that I would use it. It just doesn't make sense to me to use public transportation in Longview. Parking is free and abundant (save at LCC). Traffic is almost nonexistent much of the day. It's not like in Portland, where I lived for four years. Public transit makes sense there and many people use it, but they pay for it too. A monthly transit pass costs $86 there. Can people really buy monthly bus passes here for $10? No wonder they're going broke. "

ltlgto wrote on Nov 6, 2008 9:25 AM:

" Let's do the math. The car dealers sell a car for $30000. Original tax at 8% = $2400. New tax with increase at 8.2% = $2460. That's a $60 increase in the car price. How about the dealer knock off the $60 in profit they make? Oh, I forgot, the dealerships don't actually want to deal around here. You spend $20k per year on taxable items. Instead of paying $1600 in sales tax you will pay $1640. A $40 increase. If you can afford to buy that much in taxable items, you can afford the extra $40.
Has anyone taken into the consideration of the Paratransit service that is also provided by CUBS. This is the door to door service that takes your disabled / elderly kids, parents, grandparents etc. in the wheelchairs to the doctor for you. Can you or are willing to take the time off work to take them yourself. Just because you don't need it yet doesn't mean you won't in the future.
I don't have school age children, but I still pay the tax for others kids to attend. I've never had a fire but I pay for that in taxes too. As for Ryderwood, you chose to live in a tiny isolated town.
This area has so many people that are only about themselves. All bus systems in this state are tax supported, just like fire, police, etc. If CUBS doesn't meet your needs, tell them how it could. Nows your chance. "

tallsy wrote on Nov 6, 2008 10:29 AM:

" This is great. I have been riding the buses for 19 years. I will continue to ride the buses for a very long time. Now we can have Sunday Service and longer hours "

the Grateful Dad wrote on Nov 6, 2008 1:08 PM:

" Reading most reader comments the past two days has exposed one thing clearly: Liberal Compassion rearing its ugly head to expose selfish ambition, pride, and hate. Now we know who the TRUE haters are. "

rs5 wrote on Nov 6, 2008 2:15 PM:

" ltlgto Dont you think that something that effects the entire county should be voted on by the entire county? Not just the select few who benefit from it. "

bluestar wrote on Nov 6, 2008 3:41 PM:

" rs5 - I do agree with you. I'm not saying that I am for or against this tax increase. It seems as though my say doesn't matter. That is the most disturbing thing to me in all this. As a Cowlitz County resident who will pay taxes on this, I should have been allowed to give my vote, either for or against. And to everyone, as with all tax increases and decreases... Some people will benefit and some wont. That's just how it goes. My hope is that enough people will benefit from our lousy two-tenths of one percent tax hike, to make it worth the while. "

ltlgto wrote on Nov 6, 2008 4:52 PM:

" rs5 wrote on Nov 6, 2008 2:15 PM:

" ltlgto Dont you think that something that effects the entire county should be voted on by the entire county? Not just the select few who benefit from it. "

rs5, where do you do most of your shopping, Longview/Kelso or Chehalis/Centralia like most in Ryderwood? Did you know that CAP has a senior van that brings people from Ryderwood into Longview once a month for shopping? Do you know how many times it was cancelled because they couldn't get 4 or more riders? Only the people in the PTBA (Public Transportation Benefit Area)could vote on the measure which is basically the city limits of Longview/Kelso. Unfair? It depends on where you shop, but that's why I think it is important for people to let CUBS know what they want for there tax dollars. There's still talk of annexing Lexington into the PTBA, and until they do, they won't get bus service out there. Please realize that there has been a lot of change at CUBS and the CTA and hopefully with the tax passed they will really strive to improve the system. "

rs5 wrote on Nov 9, 2008 7:02 AM:

" ltlgto re; We do shop in longview/kelso and yes we know of the van that sometimes (depending on weather and the number of riders) finds its way up here once a month. How many people with a months worth of shopping will fit in that little van? Cowlitz county has a population of 99,905 longview /kelso has a population of 36,767. Like you said only the people who benefit from it vote on it. 1/3rd votes the other 2/3rds has no say in the matter. Cowlitz transit authority needs to change its name to the longview/kelso transit authority. "

No rose glasses wrote on Nov 9, 2008 7:43 AM:

" Not sure where some of these folks reside, but I'm 2 miles south of castle Rock, and 1 mile from WS Hiway and the measure was on my ballot, of which I voted against. I would be curious as to where some of these other folks live and either did or didn' have this issue on their ballot? I've never seen or heard of a bus from cubs running to and from Castle Rock, on any schedule, not even to Lexington?? Please respond chances are the elections board might have messed up the ballots again, as to the area covered by ballot and area of bus service?? "

Flamingo wrote on Nov 9, 2008 8:56 AM:

" I know why the sales tax increase passed. Stupidity on the part of people who did not read the pros and cons. Now you'll be spending even more money next time you go shopping. I can't believe anybody would vote for a tax increase during this recession! Even the proponents were shocked that it passed. "

nickandholly wrote on Nov 9, 2008 9:49 AM:

" To all you people who say its not a big deal that we shouldn't be complaining about this, you must be the ones who ride the bus. Well it's not fair to us citizens that don't ride the bus. And who actually work for a living. You guys should have to pay more to ride the bus. Especially those of you on WELFARE. Why should we who work pay for your transportation we have to pay enough for our own. "

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