WASHINGTON STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY ENGINEERS
2021-2023 Legislative Priorities
Counties simply do not have the revenues needed to keep pace with the demands placed upon our transportation system. Over the past two decades the county share of state gas allocations has declined precipitously, with increases to the state gas tax almost wholly dedicated toward specific state projects.
Since 1999 the state gas tax has more than doubled, going from 23 cents to 49 cents, but direct fuel tax distributions to Counties have not kept pace – increasing only 1/2 cent in that same period. Counties now receive close to $500 million less a biennium, when adjusted for inflation, than we did 30 years ago.
These revenue challenges are unstainable and risk the health and safety of our communities and environment. We simply cannot continue to do more with less.
Therefore, counties propose the following:
- Prioritizing preservation and maintenance investments;
- Targeted Increases to the County Arterial Preservation Program (CAPP) and the Rural Arterial Preservation Program (RAP)
- Ask → $100 Million to CAPP
- Ask → $140 Million to RAP
- Increase direct fuel tax distributions to counties
- Implement a federal fund exchange program