August 3, 2000

Council defeats monorail advisory ballot

SEATTLE -- Residents in September will not have a chance to vote on a multi-billion dollar monorail system, after the City Council on Wednesday voted down an advisory ballot.

In a 4-4 vote, the council defeated a proposal to send a monorail funding plan to voters Sept. 19. The ballot would have asked voters to approve a property tax increase of $570 to $1,141 a year for 20 years (on a $262,000 home) to pay for a 40-mile system estimated to cost between $1.4 billion and $4.6 billion. The ballot would have also offered the option of raising business and occupation taxes between 155 percent and 230 percent to pay for the system. Smaller spending packages for a 10-mile route would have also been on the ballot.

Council member Jim Compton said the ballot would be "reality therapy for the community," by letting voters confront the actual costs. Jan Drago echoed that sentiment: "It's time for some truth in advertising," she said.

Other council members said the advisory ballot would send the wrong message to voters. "They're going to expect we're moving forward with the monorail, and it's just to early," said Judy Nicastro.

But the idea is not dead. There is still the possibility that Initiative 53 -- requiring the city to spend $6 million on a monorail study -- will receive enough signatures for the November ballot. And on Monday, the council voted to form the Elevated Transit Committee to review an intermediate transit study later this year and return to the council with a recommendation on whether to pursue a voter-approved monorail funding package.