Letter: Alternative to car tab fee needed for Duportail bridge

I’m a resident of Pasco, so I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but it seems to me like it’s not a fair fight. From what I have read regarding the subject of building a bridge across the Yakima River at Duportail Street in Richland, it is more to the advantage of the city of Richland, the businesses in the Queensgate area and the residents of West Richland than it is to the majority of the residents in Richland.

And yet the city of Richland has determined that the best way to fund the bridge is to levy a fee, to be added to the vehicle registration fees, to help fund the bridge. It appears that this avenue is most convenient for the city since it doesn’t require approval by a vote of the people, the very residents of the city who they are supposedly representing and serving.

I believe that if the bridge is really that necessary, which I don’t, a more equitable means of funding needs to be explored. As far as an equitable fee, perhaps a toll bridge would be an alternative to what is now on the table.

This story was originally published February 26, 2017 at 3:55 AM with the headline "Letter: Alternative to car tab fee needed for Duportail bridge."