WALLA WALLA 2020
Today’s
Vision for Tomorrow’s Community
ww2020@charter.net, www.ww2020.org
Board of Directors
Valley Transit
Dear Board Members:
I am writing on behalf of the
Walla Walla 2020 Transportation Committee regarding
long-term transit planning for the
We
agree with the statement in RCW 35.95.010
that:
(T)he maintenance and operation of an adequate public
transportation system is an absolute necessity and is essential to the
economic, industrial and cultural growth, development and prosperity of a
municipality and of the state and nation, and to protect the health and welfare
of the residents of such municipalities and the public in general.
We would like to thank the
Valley Transit Board and Valley Transit General Manager Dick Fondahn for their service and ability to manage the funding
of a transportation system that is subject to many factors beyond local
control.
We understand that the
funding of Valley Transit comes from three general sources: Grants, local sales taxes and fares.
We are concerned that
available grants may not be sufficient in the long-term to provide for
increases in operating costs necessary to meet the expanded demand for transit
services due to growth in our community, rising individual transportation
costs, long-term challenges to our economy, and efforts to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions .
As you know, both state and federal transportation budgets are being
stretched very thinly.
We know that local funding
for current Valley Transit services comes from the public transit benefit area,
PTBA, through a .3 of 1% sales tax (out of the allowable .9 of 1%). As the board reviews future service needs and
costs, including increasing frequency of service and expansion of routes to
serve public transit needs of existing neighborhoods and new developments, we
encourage you to consider increasing the local sales tax rate as an option to
assure VT’s ability to maintain existing services as well as to provide needed
upgrades. We understand that this would
require a vote within the PTBA, which we would be willing to actively support
at an appropriate time.
In addition, should grant
shortfalls occur, we encourage the board to consider
balancing the budget by enhancing revenue through an increase in the PTBA sales
tax rate rather than by cutting critical services. Besides providing a needed alternative to
automobile use for a variety
of important purposes, access to transit is of course a
necessity for those who rely solely on transit for work and other life
activities
We believe that increasing
transit ridership is the best means to realize the
public benefits outlined in RCW 35.95.010, and are willing to work with you to
promote increased ridership within the Walla Walla area, and between our area and nearby cities.
Again, we commend you for
providing essential, innovative and flexible public transportation options, and
offer our support in seeking to further advance the provision of public transit
in the
Sincerely,
Andy
Pryor
Chair, Walla Walla 2020 Transportation Committee
509-525-7163,
apryor@gohighspeed.com