The House just passed an unprecedented amendment for a state road project: Locals (Seattle property owners in this instance) will be liable for any cost overruns on the Viaduct tunnel.
Seattle’s 12 representatives split on the amendment.
Chamber: HOUSE 2009 Regular Session
Bill No.: ESSB 5768 Docs
Description: 826 CLIBBORN PG 2 LN 3
Item No.: 28
Transcript No: 101
Date: 4-22-2009Yeas: 49 Nays: 47 Absent: 0 Excused: 2
Voting yea: Representatives Angel, Appleton, Blake, Campbell, Chase, Clibborn, Cody, Conway, Darneille, Dickerson, Dunshee, Ericks, Finn, Goodman, Green, Haigh, Hudgins, Hunt, Hurst, Jacks, Kagi, Kelley, Kessler, Kirby, Liias, Linville, Maxwell, McCoy, Miloscia, Moeller, Morrell, Morris, Nelson, O’Brien, Ormsby, Orwall, Pedersen, Pettigrew, Quall, Rolfes, Seaquist, Sells, Springer, Takko, Upthegrove, Van De Wege, Wallace, Wood, and Mr. Speaker (Chopp)Voting nay: Representatives Alexander, Anderson, Bailey, Carlyle, Chandler, Condotta, Cox, Crouse, Dammeier, DeBolt, Driscoll, Eddy, Ericksen, Grant-Herriot, Haler, Hasegawa, Herrera, Hinkle, Hope, Hunter, Johnson, Kenney, Klippert, Kretz, Kristiansen, McCune, Orcutt, Parker, Pearson, Priest, Probst, Roach, Roberts, Rodne, Ross, Santos, Schmick, Shea, Short, Simpson, Smith, Sullivan, Taylor, Walsh, Warnick, White, and Williams
The bill itself passed 53-43 soon after. Weird (or boring): Majority Leader Rep. Frank Chopp (D-43, Wallingford)—who forced the anti-Seattle amendment on the caucus (and voted for it)—voted against the final bill.
As Rep. Reuven Carlyle (D-36, Queen Anne), who voted against the amendment, pointed out to PubliCola yesterday: Seattle is already putting up $1 billion toward the project.
The state has pledged $4.8 billion, including $400,000 in tolling revenue.
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Had all of the Seattle Reps voted as a block against this amendment, it would have failed. Pathetic.
And if the amendment fails, so does the tunnel and Seattle either picks its nose for another year or gets a viaduct replacement.
Seattle’s wanted special treatment on the viaduct replacement, and they’re getting it. They just have to foot the cost.
I know, I know — Seattle’s world-class cred will be mortally threatened unless downtown developers can stick the rest of the state with the bill while walking off with the profits. Life sucks. Grab a straw.
This is a deal we could have reached five years ago. Way to go, world-class city!
Each Seattle legislator that voted for it, cast the deciding vote…. a shift of a single vote would have killed the amendment.
Downtown Seattle First Avenue Property owners supported the amendment—would rather be on the hook for cost overruns that might not happen, than for the Seattle portion of the viaduct cost that includes a streetcar on First Avenue—at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. The streetcar is a certain waste of money. This little amendment blocks streetcar property tax funding, and keeps Seattle focused on the tunnel itself.
Had all of the Seattle Reps voted as a block against this amendment, it would have failed. Pathetic.