Benton, Franklin commissions ask for $7 million transit tax cut. But will it happen?
Benton and Franklin county commissioners are officially asking the Tri-Cities transit service to cut about $7 million in revenue.
But it’s not clear whether the Ben Franklin Transit board will agree to ask voters to cut their taxes.
Both counties recently sent letters to the transit board after the commissioners agreed in a joint meeting this month to request that transit district voters stop paying 0.1 percent in sales taxes
In turn, the commissioners want to enact a 0.1 percent sales tax to fund the operation of a mental health and drug treatment facility. That tax could raise an estimated $9 million because it would include all of both counties.
“The Tri-Cities is the only area in the state of Washington with a population of our size that does not currently have a mental health crises facility where those affected can get help and treatment,” Franklin County Administrator Keith Johnson said in a letter to the transit board. “Accordingly, we are asking for your help in bringing this effort about.”
While the commissioners have the ability to approve the sales tax increase for mental health service without the cut to transit, they said they didn’t want to hit most people with a tax increase.
State law allows the commissioners to approve the measure without sending it to voters. It would cost 1 cent more on a $10 purchase, and raise millions to pay for the operating costs of a new facility.
Transit board Chairman Richard Bloom, a West Richland city councilman, told the Herald that at this point he doesn’t know if he would recognize a motion if someone made it at a board meeting. It would be more appropriate to come when the budget is being prepared in the fall, he said.
Three of the county commissioners — Clint Didier, Rocky Mullen and Shon Small — are members of the nine-person transit board. But they already have received push-back from Bloom and Pasco Councilman Ruben Alvarado.
Both spoke out against the change at the joint commission meeting, worried that it could mean a reduction in service to areas that need it the most and make the system less efficient.
The commissioners also faced criticism during a June 10 transit board meeting, Didier said at a recent commissioner meeting.
“They were pretty adamant in claiming that we’re gutting transit,” he said.
When he looks at the budget he sees every department is increasing, and he believes they don’t need all of the funding to keep running the transit buses.
Mental Health Facility
Benton County has been in the process of finding a spot for a drug treatment and mental health facility.
While the commissioners have money for the construction, they will need money to run it. That’s where the 0.1 percent mental health tax comes in. It would pay for services that aren’t covered by health insurance revenue.
It’s been supported by chiefs and sheriffs from across the two counties, who said the Tri-Cities has a serious need for a treatment facility. Commissioners from both sides of the river said they are committed to providing the service.
“For far too long, mental and behavioral health have been low priorities in personal care and often sidelined by society,” Benton County Administrator Jerrod MacPherson said in a letter.
Transit funding
Just about 75 percent of the bus system’s $54 million in revenue in 2021 comes from the 0.6 percent sales tax paid by people shopping inside the transit district.
The taxing district includes Richland, Pasco, Kennewick, West Richland, Benton City, Prosser and part of Finley.
The transit system runs 18 inter-city routes from Prosser to Kennewick in Benton County and crosses the river into Pasco, according to a financial statement from the transit service.
The routes gave Tri-Citians 2.1 million rides in 2019. That was more the two-thirds of the transit system’s 3.1 million rides that year before COVID shutdowns, according to its financial statements.
Voters approved half of the tax in 1981 and the other half in 2002 to pay for fixed bus routes, Dial-A-Ride services for the disabled, vanpool programs for commuters and other services.
While the commissioners have supported services like Dial-A-Ride, they have questioned how effective the fixed route service is, and whether it’s serving enough people.
Bloom, who has been on the board since 2010, said transit’s financial position has come after years of careful planning. Buses were 22 years old and had a million miles on them. It was barely recovering from the recession and a drop in state funding.
“Now we’re on the verge of getting an effective transit system and meeting the future needs of the transit community,” he said. “The long-term health of transit will depend on having a revenue base.”
To meet that goal, the transit system needs to become more convenient, he said. They are preparing to have buses run on the main lines ever 15 minutes and are running some lines until 10 p.m. They’ve also started a program that will take a rider to the nearest bus station.
While it’s not clear what services or expenses would need to be cut if the funding went away, Bloom said it would have an impact.
But the commissioners are skeptical. They point to about $37 million the transit system has on hand.
“It is our position that there are opportunities for BFT to participate in this effort, without jeopardizing public transportation needs,” Johnson wrote. “Our residents need and deserve both excellent public transportation services and excellent public behavioral health services.”
MacPherson made a similar comment, saying the commissioners believe transit could “tighten its belt.”
About $19 million is for reserves, according to transit documents. That covers a little less than half of the system’s $48 million operating budget.
They also have $16 million on hand for capital projects, which were put on hold because of COVID.
Bloom said the bus service isn’t able to borrow money to buy buses or for buildings. That means they need to have it on hand when those bills come due.
The transit board meets again in July.