Times/News Correspondent

The Burien City Council has declared its opposition to Initiative 912, which would repeal Washington's 9.5 gasoline tax increase that the Legislature imposed earlier this year.

Lawmakers voted 5-1 on Oct. 8 to oppose the statewide initiative, which will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.

Councilman Gordon Shaw cast the lone dissenting vote. Councilman StephenLamphear was absent.

According to information from the Office of Financial Management, passage of I-912 would eliminate 80 percent of the anticipated funding for 265 new transportation projects statewide.

That reportedly would include the elimination of $6.25 million for Burien's State Route 509/State Route 518 interchange and corridor improvements; $552,000 for phase one of the First Avenue South Project; $1.5 million for Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) environmental work on Miller Creek; and more than $120,000 annually for Burien street improvements.

Regional projects that could be affected are the SR-99/Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle and the SR-518/Sea-Tac Airport to I-5/I-405 interchange, Assistant City Manager David Cline told council members.

During the 2005 session, the Legislature approved the 33 percent increase in the state's gasoline tax: a 3-cent-a-gallon hike went into effect on July 1; it is to be followed by another 3-cent increase on July 1, 2006; 2 cents on July 1, 2007; and 1.5 cents on July 1, 2008.

Over the next 16 years, these increases are projected to generate $4.434 billion in net revenue - an estimated 80 percent of the cost of 265 new transportation projects.

The projects, according to WSDOT, include improvements on at-risk structures, fixing problems at 52 specific high accident locations and corridors, and fish barrier removal projects.

For a typical Washington driver who drives 12,000 miles a year in a car that gets an average of 22 miles per gallon, the gas tax would cost an additional $16 per year in 2005, $33 in 2006, $44 in 2007 and by 2008 an additional $52 per year, according to the Association of Washington Cities.

"Clearly this is a transportation package that addresses the needs of residents across the state," John Little, legislative director for the Northwest Carpenter's Union, told the council.

"Everywhere there is a critical transportation need, a life safety need, a deteriorating bridge need, the Legislature met those interests."

Little noted that the tax increase is "critically needed" for the state's continued economic development.

But Shaw pointed out that I-912 received over 420,000 signatures in just 32 days from the time the Secretary of State approved the language of the initiative.

"In the past this council has supported other ballot measures that have had the effects of maintaining or increasing taxes that the people of Burien have turned down.

"It'll be interesting to see whether once again we"ll take a position in opposition to the voters as we have done in the past," Shaw declared.

He also expressed concern about the many transportation projects that are scheduled out over the next 16 years.

"I find it difficult to believe that beyond three or four years [the city] will have any idea of what the projects, completion wise, will be and I think it's a bit of false advertising on the part of the proponents of the 9 cent gas tax that we will just approve this," Shaw said."I don't see it happening."

But other council members expressed strong support for the tax increase.

"It's important to acknowledge the economical benefits of having a strong and viable infrastructure," said Councilman Jack Block Jr.

"With our current system, we don't have that in place and quite frankly, it's costing our state jobs and income," he said.

Block added that the gas tax increase and the revenues it will generate for transportation funding is an investment to the city.

"Without that investment our jobs and our economy are going to go away," he predicted.