Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ellensburg council directs staff to place TBD renewal and 0.1% street‑preservation measure on November ballot
Summary
Ellensburg City Council voted to direct staff to draft a November ballot measure renewing a 0.2% Transportation Benefit District sales tax for transit and adding a 0.1% TBD for street preservation.
Ellensburg City Council voted to direct staff to bring back ballot language and a resolution to renew the city’s Transportation Benefit District (TBD) sales and use tax and to add a new 0.1% TBD dedicated to street preservation, with the city aiming for a November 2025 election date.
The action: Council approved a motion directing staff to prepare a measure that would (1) renew the existing 0.2% TBD sales and use tax currently dedicated to transit, and (2) enact an additional 0.1% TBD sales and use tax for street preservation and transportation activities. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: staff and advisory committees told the council the city faces a structural deficit in tax‑supported general fund services and a growing backlog in street maintenance. City Manager Heidi Behrens briefed the council on the fiscal context and on legal and grant constraints. Behrens and staff described the policy options PTAC (the Public Transit Advisory Committee) considered and said one committee recommendation — to retain the 0.2% transit allocation and add a 0.1% for streets — was the proposal the council advanced.
Grant risk and legal constraints: staff warned that some federal and state transit grants and state interpretations require a locality to maintain transit funding at a level consistent with rules in effect on Jan. 1, 2022. Heidi Behrens told the council that an interpretation from WSDOT and the Attorney General’s Office raised the risk that diverting existing transit TBD revenue to streets could jeopardize some grant eligibility. The manager said staff had identified five ballot options for council consideration and that the PTAC preferred the option that preserves the 0.2% transit funding and adds the 0.1% for streets.
Public comment and stakeholder views: members of the public and PTAC members spoke during the meeting. Jim Gerson and other PTAC members urged the council to “ask for what you need” and cautioned that cutting the local transit levy would significantly reduce operating capacity and threaten long‑term service if grant support diminished. Other speakers, including residents, emphasized both transit’s equity role and the city’s need for sustainable street maintenance funding.
Timing and next steps: the council directed staff to return with a resolution and recommended ballot language and to hold the required public hearing(s). Staff and council discussed November as the preferred election date to avoid competing measures earlier in the year and to allow the Department of Revenue time to implement any change in tax collection.
Outcome: Motion passed by voice vote. Staff will draft the resolution, ballot language and a public outreach plan and return to council for formal adoption and required hearings.
