Town Hall
What: Town hall meeting hosted by State Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas.
When: 10 a.m. Saturday.
Where: Battle Ground City Hall, 109 S.W. First St., Battle Ground.
State Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, will host a town hall meeting Saturday on a bill that could give cities and counties more control to raise taxes and fees for transportation projects.
Pike is jointly hosting the meeting with the city of Battle Ground, which recently opted to create a transportation benefit district — a quasi-municipal corporation that functions as a separate entity with the authority to charge taxes and fees.
The revenue from the charges would go toward transportation and infrastructure improvements, and the bill could be somewhat of a game changer for transportation benefit districts.
In short, the measure — House Bill 1593 — would allow cities and counties to establish transportation utilities to fund a variety of transportation projects. It would also enable cities and counties with transportation benefit districts to eliminate their “separate entity” status and impose vehicle fees up to $50 — and a sales and use tax at a rate of up to two-tenths of 1 percent.
Battle Ground Mayor Shane Bowman recently testified in support of the bill in Olympia. The measure would give cities and counties more control over their own transportation funding, he said.
Pike didn’t write the bill, and she’s not one of its co-sponsors. But as a representative of the 18th Legislative District, which includes Battle Ground, Pike says she wants to hear what the voters think of the bill.
While the city backs the proposal, Pike’s stance has been less decisive. In a statement posted to her website on Thursday, Pike said she has “serious reservations” about the bill, which landed in the House Transportation Committee this week.
Pike encouraged Battle Ground residents to attend the meeting, emphasizing her concern about how much input the public will have on local transportation revenue decisions if the bill should pass.
“This is a measure supported by Battle Ground city officials that would modify the authority of cities and counties, under certain circumstances, to impose a local annual vehicle fee of up to $50 and a local sales and use tax of up to 0.2 percent with a vote of the governing board, but without a vote of citizens, with the money going for local transportation projects,” she wrote.
The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at Battle Ground City Hall, 109 S.W. First St.
