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Point Roberts advisory group considers doubling motor‑fuel tax to 2¢ per gallon, may ask county to place measure on ballot
Summary
PRCAC members and residents debated a Taxpayer Association proposal to raise the Point Roberts TBD motor‑fuel excise tax from 1¢ to 2¢ per gallon to stabilize revenues; committee agreed to town‑hall outreach and to evaluate ballot timing and language before asking Whatcom County to place the measure before voters.
The Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee discussed a proposal from a local taxpayers' group to increase the transportation benefit district motor‑fuel excise tax from 1¢ to 2¢ per gallon and canvass community support for placing the increase on the ballot. Mark, representing the Taxpayer Association, summarized legal background and the rationale for the proposal and asked PRCAC to support or remain neutral so the county could put the measure before voters.
Mark told the committee that Washington state law allows border‑area TBDs to levy a fuel excise tax with voter approval and that a 2024 change to the RCW broadened allowable uses for border TBD revenue. He said revenue has fallen in recent years — in part because of exchange‑rate shifts, the end of BC's carbon tax and reduced cross‑border travel — and reported the Point Roberts TBD balance was $1,271,805.87 as of Dec. 31, 2025. "If you double the tax, you will double the revenue," he said, arguing a 1¢ increase would be "almost imperceptible" at the pump.
Several PRCAC members and residents pushed back: they asked for specific project lists, questioned assumptions about demand elasticity and urged safeguards to prevent the county from diverting TBD monies to other projects. Rhiannon (PRCAC chair) said the committee would not unilaterally put language on the ballot without broader community input and recommended town‑hall outreach, emailed comments and a steering committee to develop priorities before asking Whatcom County Council to treat the request as a TBD ballot item.
