Legislators say bridge will likely take a toll
Saturday, December 15, 2007
BY KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writer
Local legislators offered a two-word reality check Friday to people wondering how the region will pay for a new Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River:
Expect tolls.
"Tolls are going to be part of the mix" on every major state transportation project from now on, said state Rep. Bill Fromhold, D-Vancouver, responding to a question at Friday's legislative preview breakfast, sponsored by Clark County business groups.
"If we want the bridge, we're going to have to pay forward," agreed Rep. Deb Wallace, also a Vancouver Democrat.
"To me, tolls are a true user tax," said Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside. "But they can't be the only source." A new Columbia River Crossing will benefit the entire state, he noted.
Not every lawmaker was comfortable with the concept of tolls, especially for Clark County residents who commute daily to jobs in Oregon.
Rep. Bruce Chandler's 15th District encompasses most of Yakima County, Klickitat and Skamania counties and a small portion of southeastern Clark County. "For most of our constituents, a toll is the 75 cents we pay to cross the Hood River Bridge," the Granger Republican said. "When you talk about $175 to $200 a month just to get to work, I am concerned."
That would amount to $5 per crossing. No one is expecting bridge tolls to be that steep. The toll on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge is $1.75 per car for those with automatic transponders or $3 for cash customers. The toll is charged only in one direction.
Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, said he grew up in Maine, where toll roads are commonplace, and doesn't have a problem with tolls. But he wondered how wide the new I-5 bridge would have to be to accommodate toll booths.
Rep. Jim Dunn, R-Vancouver, said he opposes tolls imposed by governments. "The cheapest way to fund transportation is if the costs are spread widely," he said. With tolls, he said, "The 55,000 to 60,000 people that drive into Oregon every day will have a big hit."
Lawmakers told the assembled business leaders that in order to get a significant federal and state buy-in on the $3 billion to $4 billion price tag for a new I-5 bridge, they will need to present a united front.
Otherwise, said Orcutt, the project could end up like the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Funding to replace the earthquake-damaged overpass is in limbo after state legislators, Seattle politicians and Gov. Chris Gregoire disagreed over what should be done with the double-deck highway, which carries fast traffic above downtown Seattle's waterfront.
"There's got to be consensus," Fromhold said. The agreement state and federal lawmakers reached over the Columbia River channel-deepening project would be a good model to follow in building support for the Columbia River Crossing, he said.
Wallace said she wants to make sure that all Clark County residents, including her 17th District constituents in east Vancouver, see a return on their investment in a new bridge. Many don't depend as heavily on the I-5 crossing because the Interstate 205 bridge is more convenient. One possibility, she said, would be more park-and-ride lots.
Dunn said it's important to ease the traffic jams people experience going between the I-5 and Interstate 205 bridges. "We need more corridors to address the gridlock we have off the freeways," he said.
Addressing the issues
The eight lawmakers who attended the breakfast had these comments on questions pitched by moderator Bart Phillips of the Columbia River Economic Development Council and audience members:
On tax increment financing, the ability to bond against future revenue to pay for local projects today:
Fromhold said most legislators want a state law that would give all communities that tool, but "the House Democratic Caucus leadership continues to oppose it."
But state Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, said it's important not to focus too narrowly on tax increment financing, because what's really needed is more state dollars for local projects.
On new capital projects:
Fromhold, who chairs the House Capital Budget Committee, said it "may not be realistic" to expect the 2008 Legislature to expand the state's bonding capacity to pay for new college buildings. "We have deteriorating sewer and water capacity across the state that is severe," he said, and local school districts are pushing for new construction dollars as well.
On new stormwater management rules soon to be adopted by the Department of Ecology, which developers warn could reduce the amount of buildable land in the county:
Chandler said it's important for Ecology to recognize that there is less rainfall and therefore less stormwater runoff east of the Cascades and that "one size does not fit all."
Rep. Jaime Herrera, R-Ridgefield, who was appointed Nov. 29 to fill the seat vacated by Richard Curtis, said that in her two weeks as a state legislator, she has heard from constituents that the Department of Ecology may be "overreaching" with its new stormwater rule.
"My experience is, legislative intent needs to be followed," said Herrera, adding that she favors "solutions, but not Draconian solutions."
But Pridemore pointed out that Ecology developed the new stormwater rule to comply with the federal Clean Water Act. If the state doesn't enforce the act, he said, the federal courts could step in.
Referring to U.S. District Judge Jim Redden's recent threat to take over operation of Columbia River dams to ensure adequate stream flow for threatened salmon, Pridemore remarked: "If you like what Judge Redden is doing with the Endangered Species Act, you'll love what the federal courts will do with the Clean Water Act."
The annual legislative preview, held this year at the Hilton Vancouver Washington, is sponsored by Identity Clark County, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia River Economic Development Council.
Social services make pitch
After the breakfast, several legislators attended a session at the YWCA Clark County that was organized by 21 nonprofit human service agencies. Agency leaders thanked lawmakers for their work during the 2007 session on early childhood education, health care for children, housing, mental health services, and access to legal services for the poor.
La Von Holden, interim director of the Vancouver Housing Authority, said the lack of affordable housing is a fundamental unmet need of the county's low-income residents.
"If a family doesn't have decent, affordable housing, it can't make progress in other areas," she said.
Holden noted that 26 percent of all jobs in Clark County pay $12 an hour or less, and that a worker making the state minimum wage of $8.07 per hour would have to work 72 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom unit renting at the local fair market rent of $757.
"There's a real disconnect between the cost of housing and wages," she said. "The reality is, you can have a $12-an-hour job and not have a place to live."
Pat Beckett, executive director of the Children's Center in Vancouver, said the state's mental health system continues to be significantly underfunded, and new state Access to Care standards have created additional barriers for people trying to obtain mental health services, especially children.
From June 2006 to September 2007, Clark County's network of mental health service providers denied services to 316 people, Beckett said. Of those, 204 were children.
Pridemore, who got a sudden immersion in mental health issues this year as interim director of Columbia River Mental Health Services, acknowledged the problems. But he said solving them comes down to money, and money for expanded programs is going to be hard to come by in 2008.
"We're going to need supermajorities to pass new taxes now" under voter-approved Initiative 747, he said. "We won't have much ability to fund new programs." He asked agency heads to propose changes that won't require new funding.
Fromhold agreed. "It's going to be important to think about holding on to the footholds we've established."
The Legislature convenes Jan. 14 for a 60-day regular session.
Kathie Durbin can be reached at
kathie.durbin@columbian.com
or 360-759-8034.
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