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PI: Sound Transit Can’t Afford Rail to Federal Way

On Other Blogs   May 9, 2011 at 10:50 am Erica C. Barnett

Sound Transit interim CEO Celia Kupersmith mentioned this briefly during a League of Women Voters forum I participated in last Thursday, but the PI’s Scott Guttierez has a more fleshed-0ut version of the story: Sound Transit no longer thinks it has the money to complete light rail to South. 272nd St. in Federal Way. Instead, it may terminate rail at Highline Community College in Des Moines and increase express bus service in South King County instead.

The problem isn’t just the Sound Transit’ revenues have fallen short, but that the policy of subarea equity—taxes raised in one “subarea” of Sound Transit’s three-county jurisdiction—requires the agency to spend taxes raised in one subarea in that subarea
. The problem isn’t just the Sound Transit’ revenues have fallen short, but that the policy of subarea equity—taxes raised in one “subarea” of Sound Transit’s three-county jurisdiction—requires the agency to spend taxes raised in one subarea in that subarea (rather than allowing richer subareas to subsidize poorer ones).

Sound Transit’s policy of sub-area equity assures that taxes imposed on one subarea, like south King County, support projects and operations that directly benefit that  area.

“The subarea equity policy where we divide taxing districts into subareas and then have to invest the revenues raised in that area is a terrible way to build a regional system,” Patterson said. “Because essentially what happens is what you’re seeing here – the poorer areas, and the socially and economically challenged areas end up not connected to regional transit.”

Sound Transit’s board requested a study of how far the light rail line could be extended within the current financial projections, as well as what projects, including Sounder and bus projects, best meet agency goals and ridership. The report, presented April 28 to Sound Transit board, showed light rail to Federal Way wouldn’t be possible under current tax collections unless all other projects in south King County were canceled.


  • ivan

    Once again the Sierra Club’s contribution to scuttling the 2007 RTID ballot measure bites us all on the ass. RTID included light rail from Tacoma to the airport, right through Federal Way. Watch them all line up now to defend their vote and attack me. But they can’t escape the consequences of their atrocious judgment. They got their light rail where they wanted it and screwed everbody else. They are every bit as guilty of short-term, dog-in-the-manger thinking as their unholy allies in the 2007 cycle, the Freeman gang.

  • fount

    Ivan, was the funding mechanism for the 2007 ballot somehow different than that for the 2008 ballot? Because the reason they are changing plans is that revenue is far lower than expected…something I imagine would have happened to this Tacoma line in RTID as well. But am I wrong?

  • fount

    Ivan, was the funding mechanism for the 2007 ballot somehow different than that for the 2008 ballot? Because the reason they are changing plans is that revenue is far lower than expected…something I imagine would have happened to this Tacoma line in RTID as well. But am I wrong?

  • Monster

    As I said the other day there should be a comprehensive investigation into sound transits leadership

  • Joe Biden

    The transit funding mechanism in Roads and Transit was exactly the same as in ST2, so the outcome wouldn’t have been any different.

  • Joe Biden

    What would that accomplish? Sound Transit has more oversight and is more scrutinized than any agency in the state.

  • http://www.twitter.com/joeszi Joe Szilagyi

    It would appease people that want government reduced to just a standing army and police.

  • http://www.twitter.com/joeszi Joe Szilagyi

    It would appease people that want government reduced to just a standing army and police.

  • not transparent

    Please.
    ST would be more honest it if would admit it had a 100% cost overrun, never got rid of it, instead of claiming to be on time and budget and the “most scrutinized agency” when those are essentially lies as the clear implication is there was no overrun. sure, its’ scrutinized, after they adjusted their budget to incorporate the the overrun.

    Today it has a serious revenue shortfall. It’s cutting FW not just delaying it? Wow.

    Used to be a revenue shortfall would be grounds for eliminating the whole project. Guess that only applied to other people’s projects, not your own.

  • http://www.twitter.com/joeszi Joe Szilagyi

    Oh, we’re cutting services for not being self-sustaining and in the black on their own?

    Splendid! No more roads, highways, schools, police, fire services, park services, buses, medical services for the poor, libraries, or national military. I will surely save $1000-$2000 a year in taxes that I can reinvest in firearms and horses protect me as I ride to my job down at the mill.

  • archie

    The “rich subsidizing the poor” is an oversimplification. The South King County subarea also has two thirds the population of North King County, so subarea equity also prevents the denser subareas from subsidizing more sparsely populated, sprawling areas.

  • Alpha

    Is there a good link that explains the whole subarea equity thing? I understand it for the most part, but I could use some info on how it was decided and all that.

  • Jakers

    I too would be very interested in know this and if there have been any ‘funding emergencies’ or other mechanisms used to transfer funds from one sub area to another.

  • Jakers

    I too would be very interested in know this and if there have been any ‘funding emergencies’ or other mechanisms used to transfer funds from one sub area to another.

  • Jakers

    I bet most people that voted for Sound Transit were thinking that they were voting for light rail, not another agency to run buses.

  • Trevor

    Which “subarea” is downtown in? Because I highly doubt that north king county has more density. At best, I suspect it mainly has less green space and fewer light industrial districts.

  • Gomez

    Oh good, more 40-40-20-esque fiscal allocation nonsense.

  • Anonymous

    I’m glad to hear plans are to reach to Highline Community College as a start.
    This Link extension is more shovel-ready than others, has a shorter construction timeline, is needed to generate riders on initial Link Line, also to direct growth. It should receive any funding available to start. I’ve been saying extend Link south for years, but tunnels and big boy projects fell apart again.

  • Monster

    well if the program is not going to be implemented as promised they should vote to remove the tax.

  • Monster

    im not talking about cutting services but if they have nothing to hide they should welcome a comprehensive review of their work for the past 15 year or so.

  • Monster

    Im all for cutting the defense industry the dirty little secret is that democrats and progressives love those donations, especially the madam senators of this state.

  • Cascadian

    North King includes all of City of Seattle, plus Shoreline and everything to the King-SnoCo line.

  • Cascadian

    North King includes all of City of Seattle, plus Shoreline and everything to the King-SnoCo line.

  • Anonymous

    As others have pointed out, the problem is lack of revenue, not the authorization of the voters to build the rail line.

    Basically, Ivan is just whining that we’re not spending more sales tax revenue on roads, roads, roads!!!

  • http://spifflines.blogspot.com/ John Bailo

    At $179 million per mile, no it’s not affordable.

    But why is it so high?

    As far as I can see, there are no tunnels to be build and it’s nearly the same grade as the airport.

    The average cost per mile for light rail in America is $35 million per mile.

    Meaning we can bring this tiny 5 mile spur in for less than $200 million.

    As to why it takes them a decade to build five miles of track….I don’t know, go ask your mom.

  • ivan

    Basically, you’re full of shit. I have been emphatically in favor of all light rail proposals and continue to be, with roads attached and without.

  • My vote still only counts once

    So the problem is a lack of revenue. Then light rail is dead. How do you generate enough revenue from sales tax in a consumer climate that needs to buy crazy stuff like food to survive ? Raise the sales tax rate ? How do you think voters will respond to that ? By the way, what happens to all the money that Sound Transit collected and will collect in the future ? I would like to eat next week so can I have my money back ?

  • My vote still only counts once

    Okay fount, then when is the funeral for light rail ? Sales tax revenue will never again be at the levels that projections were based on. Now what ? Want to help ? Go out and buy a flat screen TV that you cannot really afford. The folks at Mastercard will only charge you 18% interest for the priviledge.

  • Papi

    And if RTID had passed people from Tacoma would be just as disappointed as people from Federal way are right now. Unless you are blaming the collapse of the world economy on a few environmentalists in Seattle.

  • Jakers

    Show me the math and sources on this one.

  • ivan

    “Collapse of the world economy,” my ass. There’s plenty of money to build light rail, except it’s tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan, bailouts for banks, the so-called “war on drugs,” and on and on. I don’t see the Sierra Club, or you two brilliant scholars, pointing out those incontrovertible facts.

  • Papi

    Right, just ask Bob Gates for a few billion for a light rail line. Doesn’t take a brilliant scholar to see you’re full of it