April 28, 2015 Ballot Information
April 28, 2015 Ballot Information Spokane Transit Authority Proposition No. 1 A proposed 3/10 of 1% increase in sales tax for public transportation
More options. More often. Better transit.
April 28, 2015 Ballot Information Official Ballot Language
The Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors approved a proposition seeking an increase in its sales and use tax authority to maintain the existing transit system, including Paratransit and Vanpool services, and improve fixed-route bus service through high frequency, high performance transit service, including extended hours on all basic and frequent routes, expanded transit service to new areas, new commuter routes, expanded passenger services including new and enhanced park and ride lots, transit centers, shelters, and bike lockers. This proposition would authorize the collection of an additional sales and use tax of up to 3/10 of 1%, expiring no later than December 31, 2025, all as provided in Resolution No. 728-14. Should this proposition be: APPROVED REJECTED
If approved, the funds would be used to:
Maintain existing levels of transit for buses, Paratransit and Vanpool commuters.
2
45% 55% Estimates
Provide an estimated 25% increase in bus service, which is expected to accommodate a 30% increase in ridership to more than 15 million rides a year by 2025.
IF APPROVED
IF REJECTED
• Local sales and use tax dedicated to STA would increase by up to 3/10 of 1% through 2025 when the tax increase would sunset. The new total for transit during that time would be 9/10 of 1%. • Current service levels for buses, Paratransit and Vanpool would be maintained through 2025. • STA would implement more than 25 improvements across the region to meet the growing demand for transit. Project details are on pages 4 and 5.
• Local sales and use tax dedicated to STA would remain at the current level of 6/10 of 1%. • The current level of transit service is projected to be maintained through 2016, but the STA Board of Directors could consider service reductions as early as 2017.
How does a 3/10 of 1% increase in local sales tax affect you? If approved, a 3/10 of 1% increase in local sales tax is expected to generate enough revenue between 2015 and 2025 to maintain current service and add more and better transit. $10
$10
$10
$10
$10
1¢ 1¢ = 1¢
STA Tax Revenue History* 9/10
Consumers would pay an additional three cents on a ten dollar retail purchase.
... and the effect on your wallet? GAS
6/10 3/10 of 1% proposed increase
3/10
Sales tax revenue
Sales Tax
How is STA Funded?
15
20
08
20
04
20
02
20
19
81
MVET
70.3%
The increase would only affect taxable retail purchases, which exclude gas and most food.
0C 0C
What is a Sunset Clause? A sunset clause means, if approved, the 3/10 of 1% increase would be collected through 2025. A public vote would be necessary to reauthorize this tax.
Fares 16.2%
Grants 13.5%
*See question #2 on page 7 for more information on STA tax revenue history.
3
Proposed Regional Improvements If approved, the additional revenue would fund projects across the region that were previously identified through a three-year planning process with public input. Visit STAMovingForward.com for more information.
4
Upriver Transit
or
rid or
Central City Lin
yC e n
Spr
e Ch
ne y
West Plains Transit Center
he
Mor Park
South Commuter Express
25% more bus service
2014
%
2025 25
• Extend Saturday night service past 11p.m. for bus and Paratransit service • Add new Sunday service on North Nevada • Add more frequent weekend service on Wellesley Avenue in North Spokane • Add new night and weekend service to Indian Trail • Construct the Moran Prairie Park & Ride for bus riders in south Spokane County • Create a frequent High Performance Transit (HPT) “Lite” bus line between North Monroe and South Regal with more sheltered stops (“Lite” means some HPT elements) • Create a new south commuter express from the Moran Prairie Park & Ride to downtown • Improve schedule reliability for bus service on Division and Sprague • Add service between Spokane Valley Mall and Greenacres • Construct the West Plains Transit Center at Exit 272 on I-90 providing a Park & Ride for commuters • Implement Cheney HPT service to expand capacity and improve reliability • Add direct service between Airway Heights and Medical Lake • Expand capacity and provide additional amenities and infrastructure for a reliable HPT “Lite” bus line on North Division
N. Monroe/S. Regal Corridor
To C
2015 - 2019
Divisio Corrid
If the measure is approved, bus service will increase by an estimated 25%, accommodating an estimated 30% increase in ridership by 2025.
2020 - 2025
Liberty Lake Commuter Express
vision rridor Valley Corridor
river ansit Center
y Line
e
len
Mirabeau Park & Ride
u
oe
C To
’A rd
Liberty Lake Park & Ride
Legend
Sprague Corridor Moran Prairie Park & Ride
Later Saturday Night Service Central City Line Cheney Corridor New Service More Often HPT “Lite” Commuter Express Service Public Transportation Benefit Area
Additional system improvements • Expand Paratransit service as the bus service area grows • Improve waiting areas, provide more shelters and install short-term rentable bike lockers • Expand maintenance facilities to meet existing and projected requirements • Replace buses and vans at the end of their useful life • Implement system-wide optimization in response to continuing customer feedback
Visit STAMovingForward.com for more information
• Construct an expanded Upriver Transit Center at Spokane Community College • Add more trips to Airway Heights during busy travel times • Implement frequent HPT service on the Central City Line with new passenger amenities and change how bus loading occurs at the STA Plaza • Increase service to Hillyard/Northeast Spokane • Add direct service between the Logan and Lincoln Heights neighborhoods • Add service improvements in West Central Spokane • Construct a new Mirabeau Transit Center providing additional passenger and vehicle capacity to accommodate continued service growth in the City of Spokane Valley • Relocate or expand the Liberty Lake Park & Ride, doubling commuter parking stalls to 300 • Implement HPT “Lite” service along I-90 between Spokane and Liberty Lake via Spokane Valley including new night and weekend service • Provide HPT “Lite” amenities and improve schedule reliability on East Sprague Avenue • Provide direct, non-stop service between Liberty Lake and downtown Spokane during peak hours • On a pilot basis, create an extension of HPT “Lite” service on I-90 east to Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene. 5
STA By the Numbers 2004 - 2014 Growth 50%
44%
40% 30% 20%
Vanpool commuters took 246,331 trips
10% 0
10% Bus Service Hours
reducing traffic on regional roads by 4.7 million miles*
STA provided approximately 40,000 bus rides each weekday and a total of 11.3 million last year*
6
Bus Ridership
Paratransit provided over 475,000 trips for people
whose disabilities prevented them from using regular bus service*
*2014
Questions and Answers 1. Why is the STA Board requesting a sales tax increase? The need for additional funding is a lasting effect of the Great Recession because sales tax accounts for about 70% of STA’s revenue. The agency took multiple steps early in the recession, which include reducing expenses, implementing two separate service reductions, decreasing the number of employees, and deferring capital projects. However, the significant decrease in sales tax revenue between 2008 and 2013 created a financial gap that requires additional funding to maintain current service and to implement the Boardadopted 10-year plan, STA Moving Forward. If rejected, the STA Board of Directors could consider further reductions in service as early as 2017. 2. What is the history of STA tax funding? When STA was created by the voters in 1981, they approved 3/10 of 1% of local sales tax to fund it. STA also received an approximate equivalent amount from the state Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET). Initiative 695 (later reaffirmed by the State) eliminated the MVET in 1999 reducing STA’s revenue by approximately half, leaving local sales tax as the only source of dedicated funding. Between 1999 and 2002, the state legislature provided temporary gap funding to help mitigate the service reductions caused by the loss in revenue. In 2004, voters approved a 3/10 of 1% increase in local sales tax to replace the equivalent funding generated by the former MVET. The 2004 increase included a sunset clause that was removed by voters in 2008. If approved, this proposed increase of up to 3/10 of 1% of local sales tax would sunset on December 31, 2025. A public vote would be necessary to reauthorize this tax. 3. If approved on April 28, 2015, when will the sales tax rate change? If approved, the sales tax rate would change on October 1, 2015. STA would begin receiving the additional funding in December of 2015. 4. Will the sales tax increase apply to gas or food? The sales tax increase would only affect taxable retail sales, which exclude gas and most food items. 5. If the measure is approved, will passenger fares go up? Passenger fares are anticipated to increase periodically over the next 10 years independent of the ballot measure outcome. 6. Where can I get more information? Please visit STAMovingForward.com for more information. 7
Register to Vote! Register no later than March 30, 2015, to be eligible to vote in the April 28th election. Use the QR code or visit www.sos.wa.gov/elections/myvote Remember to mail your ballot no later than April 28, 2015.
Learn more at STAMovingForward.com
Spokane Transit assures nondiscrimination in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For more information visit www.spokanetransit.com. Upon request, alternative formats of this document will be produced for people who are disabled. Call (509)325-6094 (TTY Relay 711) or email [email protected].
More options. More often. Better transit.
April 28, 2015 Ballot Information Official Ballot Language
The Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors approved a proposition seeking an increase in its sales and use tax authority to maintain the existing transit system, including Paratransit and Vanpool services, and improve fixed-route bus service through high frequency, high performance transit service, including extended hours on all basic and frequent routes, expanded transit service to new areas, new commuter routes, expanded passenger services including new and enhanced park and ride lots, transit centers, shelters, and bike lockers. This proposition would authorize the collection of an additional sales and use tax of up to 3/10 of 1%, expiring no later than December 31, 2025, all as provided in Resolution No. 728-14. Should this proposition be: APPROVED REJECTED
If approved, the funds would be used to:
Maintain existing levels of transit for buses, Paratransit and Vanpool commuters.
2
45% 55% Estimates
Provide an estimated 25% increase in bus service, which is expected to accommodate a 30% increase in ridership to more than 15 million rides a year by 2025.
IF APPROVED
IF REJECTED
• Local sales and use tax dedicated to STA would increase by up to 3/10 of 1% through 2025 when the tax increase would sunset. The new total for transit during that time would be 9/10 of 1%. • Current service levels for buses, Paratransit and Vanpool would be maintained through 2025. • STA would implement more than 25 improvements across the region to meet the growing demand for transit. Project details are on pages 4 and 5.
• Local sales and use tax dedicated to STA would remain at the current level of 6/10 of 1%. • The current level of transit service is projected to be maintained through 2016, but the STA Board of Directors could consider service reductions as early as 2017.
How does a 3/10 of 1% increase in local sales tax affect you? If approved, a 3/10 of 1% increase in local sales tax is expected to generate enough revenue between 2015 and 2025 to maintain current service and add more and better transit. $10
$10
$10
$10
$10
1¢ 1¢ = 1¢
STA Tax Revenue History* 9/10
Consumers would pay an additional three cents on a ten dollar retail purchase.
... and the effect on your wallet? GAS
6/10 3/10 of 1% proposed increase
3/10
Sales tax revenue
Sales Tax
How is STA Funded?
15
20
08
20
04
20
02
20
19
81
MVET
70.3%
The increase would only affect taxable retail purchases, which exclude gas and most food.
0C 0C
What is a Sunset Clause? A sunset clause means, if approved, the 3/10 of 1% increase would be collected through 2025. A public vote would be necessary to reauthorize this tax.
Fares 16.2%
Grants 13.5%
*See question #2 on page 7 for more information on STA tax revenue history.
3
Proposed Regional Improvements If approved, the additional revenue would fund projects across the region that were previously identified through a three-year planning process with public input. Visit STAMovingForward.com for more information.
4
Upriver Transit
or
rid or
Central City Lin
yC e n
Spr
e Ch
ne y
West Plains Transit Center
he
Mor Park
South Commuter Express
25% more bus service
2014
%
2025 25
• Extend Saturday night service past 11p.m. for bus and Paratransit service • Add new Sunday service on North Nevada • Add more frequent weekend service on Wellesley Avenue in North Spokane • Add new night and weekend service to Indian Trail • Construct the Moran Prairie Park & Ride for bus riders in south Spokane County • Create a frequent High Performance Transit (HPT) “Lite” bus line between North Monroe and South Regal with more sheltered stops (“Lite” means some HPT elements) • Create a new south commuter express from the Moran Prairie Park & Ride to downtown • Improve schedule reliability for bus service on Division and Sprague • Add service between Spokane Valley Mall and Greenacres • Construct the West Plains Transit Center at Exit 272 on I-90 providing a Park & Ride for commuters • Implement Cheney HPT service to expand capacity and improve reliability • Add direct service between Airway Heights and Medical Lake • Expand capacity and provide additional amenities and infrastructure for a reliable HPT “Lite” bus line on North Division
N. Monroe/S. Regal Corridor
To C
2015 - 2019
Divisio Corrid
If the measure is approved, bus service will increase by an estimated 25%, accommodating an estimated 30% increase in ridership by 2025.
2020 - 2025
Liberty Lake Commuter Express
vision rridor Valley Corridor
river ansit Center
y Line
e
len
Mirabeau Park & Ride
u
oe
C To
’A rd
Liberty Lake Park & Ride
Legend
Sprague Corridor Moran Prairie Park & Ride
Later Saturday Night Service Central City Line Cheney Corridor New Service More Often HPT “Lite” Commuter Express Service Public Transportation Benefit Area
Additional system improvements • Expand Paratransit service as the bus service area grows • Improve waiting areas, provide more shelters and install short-term rentable bike lockers • Expand maintenance facilities to meet existing and projected requirements • Replace buses and vans at the end of their useful life • Implement system-wide optimization in response to continuing customer feedback
Visit STAMovingForward.com for more information
• Construct an expanded Upriver Transit Center at Spokane Community College • Add more trips to Airway Heights during busy travel times • Implement frequent HPT service on the Central City Line with new passenger amenities and change how bus loading occurs at the STA Plaza • Increase service to Hillyard/Northeast Spokane • Add direct service between the Logan and Lincoln Heights neighborhoods • Add service improvements in West Central Spokane • Construct a new Mirabeau Transit Center providing additional passenger and vehicle capacity to accommodate continued service growth in the City of Spokane Valley • Relocate or expand the Liberty Lake Park & Ride, doubling commuter parking stalls to 300 • Implement HPT “Lite” service along I-90 between Spokane and Liberty Lake via Spokane Valley including new night and weekend service • Provide HPT “Lite” amenities and improve schedule reliability on East Sprague Avenue • Provide direct, non-stop service between Liberty Lake and downtown Spokane during peak hours • On a pilot basis, create an extension of HPT “Lite” service on I-90 east to Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene. 5
STA By the Numbers 2004 - 2014 Growth 50%
44%
40% 30% 20%
Vanpool commuters took 246,331 trips
10% 0
10% Bus Service Hours
reducing traffic on regional roads by 4.7 million miles*
STA provided approximately 40,000 bus rides each weekday and a total of 11.3 million last year*
6
Bus Ridership
Paratransit provided over 475,000 trips for people
whose disabilities prevented them from using regular bus service*
*2014
Questions and Answers 1. Why is the STA Board requesting a sales tax increase? The need for additional funding is a lasting effect of the Great Recession because sales tax accounts for about 70% of STA’s revenue. The agency took multiple steps early in the recession, which include reducing expenses, implementing two separate service reductions, decreasing the number of employees, and deferring capital projects. However, the significant decrease in sales tax revenue between 2008 and 2013 created a financial gap that requires additional funding to maintain current service and to implement the Boardadopted 10-year plan, STA Moving Forward. If rejected, the STA Board of Directors could consider further reductions in service as early as 2017. 2. What is the history of STA tax funding? When STA was created by the voters in 1981, they approved 3/10 of 1% of local sales tax to fund it. STA also received an approximate equivalent amount from the state Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET). Initiative 695 (later reaffirmed by the State) eliminated the MVET in 1999 reducing STA’s revenue by approximately half, leaving local sales tax as the only source of dedicated funding. Between 1999 and 2002, the state legislature provided temporary gap funding to help mitigate the service reductions caused by the loss in revenue. In 2004, voters approved a 3/10 of 1% increase in local sales tax to replace the equivalent funding generated by the former MVET. The 2004 increase included a sunset clause that was removed by voters in 2008. If approved, this proposed increase of up to 3/10 of 1% of local sales tax would sunset on December 31, 2025. A public vote would be necessary to reauthorize this tax. 3. If approved on April 28, 2015, when will the sales tax rate change? If approved, the sales tax rate would change on October 1, 2015. STA would begin receiving the additional funding in December of 2015. 4. Will the sales tax increase apply to gas or food? The sales tax increase would only affect taxable retail sales, which exclude gas and most food items. 5. If the measure is approved, will passenger fares go up? Passenger fares are anticipated to increase periodically over the next 10 years independent of the ballot measure outcome. 6. Where can I get more information? Please visit STAMovingForward.com for more information. 7
Register to Vote! Register no later than March 30, 2015, to be eligible to vote in the April 28th election. Use the QR code or visit www.sos.wa.gov/elections/myvote Remember to mail your ballot no later than April 28, 2015.
Learn more at STAMovingForward.com
Spokane Transit assures nondiscrimination in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For more information visit www.spokanetransit.com. Upon request, alternative formats of this document will be produced for people who are disabled. Call (509)325-6094 (TTY Relay 711) or email [email protected].
