Both the Dakota and Washington County Boards on Tuesday voted to establish their own quarter-cent sales tax to pay for transportation projects.
The new tax will replace one now levied by the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB), which will vote Wednesday to dissolve itself. The board, a consortium of Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka and Washington counties, has levied the transit tax and a $20 tax on new car sales since 2008 for regional transit projects.
By dissolving, CTIB cleared the way for the counties to raise their rates. Hennepin and Ramsey counties last week set their transportation taxes to a half cent, beginning Oct. 1. Anoka County voted to keep its tax at a quarter cent.
The Washington County Board voted 3-2 on its own transportation tax. Commissioners Lisa Weik of Woodbury, Karla Bigham of Cottage Grove and Stan Karwoski of Oakdale, who represent districts that would be served by major transit lines, voted in favor. Commissioners Gary Kriesel of Stillwater and Fran Miron of Hugo opposed the proposal.
Washington County has three major transit lines in the works: the Gateway Gold Line, from St. Paul to Woodbury; the Red Rock Line from St. Paul to Cottage Grove; and the Rush Line, from St. Paul to White Bear Lake. All three lines could be extended to other cities, eventually, depending on ridership.
Tuesday's vote mirrored a 3-2 vote in 2008 when the board imposed a CTIB transit tax. In that earlier vote, angry residents packed the boardroom to protest the tax. But on Tuesday, nobody testified during a public hearing on the new tax arrangement, which will raise an estimated $7.5 million annually.
Kriesel is the only board member remaining from that 2008 vote and, on Tuesday, said he was voting against the tax for the same reason he opposed it the first time — his belief that the state, not counties, should coordinate and fund regional transit. While Washington County's legislative delegation has fought hard for transit funding, other legislators outwardly oppose east metro projects on Interstate 94 and elsewhere, he said.
The other opponent, Miron, also raised concerns about inconsistent state funding and the importance of partnerships.
Commissioners who favored a county tax said they liked the full local control of money raised. "We're literally the architects of our future and can chart our own course. This is very compelling," said Weik, who chairs the board.
Likewise, commissioners in Dakota County said the new transportation tax will provide a better return on investment for their constituents. They voted 7-0 in favor. The money will be used for "high-impact projects to improve safety, congestion, mobility and economic development," the county said in a news release.
This includes the Orange Line bus-rapid transit (BRT) project connecting downtown Minneapolis to Burnsville, the existing Red Line BRT along Cedar Avenue, plus highway and trail projects.
Janet Moore • 612-673-7752 Kevin Giles • 651-925-5037
