Inslee's Budget removes funds for Spokane's North-South Freeway (Seattle, Yakima: taxes, versus)

[PS90]

https://www.krem.com/article/money/e...5-b5916049746c

I don't think that this is surprising in any way. After all, King Jay can't see Spokane from the Space Needle, so he doesn't care about our votes.

I especially like this:

"Current priorities in the transportation budget include:

Improvements to traffic safety, like bike lanes
$1.12 billion over ten years for a hybrid-electric ferry system, plus more than $20 million on training and hiring ferry workers
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives"

So, basically, a much-needed major arterial through Spokane is less important than bike lanes, brand-new ferries and "diversity initiatives".

How does this guy keep getting elected?

Oh, that's right - Seattle.

[509]

For every dollar in gas and transportation taxes that residents of Spokane and the far eastern Region of DOT they get back FORTY CENTS in road funding.

The worse part is that Inslee sets the priority for many Federal dollars and their spending within the state. So it is not just state road monies going elsewhere, but also Federal gas taxes.

We voted Inslee OUT OF EASTERN WASHINGTON so he moved to western Washington. I guess he still holds a grudge.

[grega94]

Well per that article “Thankfully the Governor's budget is only a recommendation, and it is the legislature that will ultimately create and pass the final budget.”

So nothing is set in stone yet, hopefully this gets debated and Spokane can get the funding it deserves.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by 509

For every dollar in gas and transportation taxes that residents of Spokane and the far eastern Region of DOT they get back FORTY CENTS in road funding.

The worse part is that Inslee sets the priority for many Federal dollars and their spending within the state. So it is not just state road monies going elsewhere, but also Federal gas taxes.

We voted Inslee OUT OF EASTERN WASHINGTON so he moved to western Washington. I guess he still holds a grudge.

That is actually not true. In fact it is the opposite. Western Washington contributes far more in tax dollars than it receives. In Eastern Washington it is the opposite. Eastern Washington receives far more tax dollars than it contributes. Western WA has been subsidizing Eastern WA for decades, and to the tune of billions and billions of dollars. Here is the most recent report I could find that looks at state revenues and expenditures on a county-by-county basis. Thurston has the most state spending because the capital is there but setting Thurston aside, the top 10 counties for revenues received versus contributed are the following (with the ratio of dollars received versus contributed). In other words, Whitman County gets $2.13 dollars from the state for every $1 it contributes. While King County gets $0.54 back for very $1 it contributes. Eastern counties I'm coloring red, western counties I'm coloring blue and using the Cascades as the diving line, not the geographic center of the state.

TOP 10 COUNTIES IN REVENUES RECEIVED VERSUS CONTRIBUTED

Whitman: 2.13
Mason: 2.07
Walla Walla: 1.83
Okanogan: 1.78
Franklin: 1.76
Yakima: 1.72
Grays Harbor: 1.66
Adams: 1.64
Pacific: 1.62
Stevens: 1.59

BOTTOM 10 COUNTIES IN REVENUES RECEIVED VERSUS CONTRIBUTED

San Juan: 0.41
King: 0.54
Skagit: 0.77
Chelan: 0.83
Snohomish: 0.86
Jefferson: 0.86
Whatcom: 0.89
Island: 0.91
Columbia: 0.95
Klickitat: 0.96

Spokane County is right in the middle at #19 with $1.32 dollars received for every $1 contributed. Which still means that Spokane County receives 2.4x more from the state than King County for every dollar it contributes. Basically Puget Sound is the economic engine that subsidizes the rest of the state.

Source: https://ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/fil...s_revenues.pdf

[pnwguy2]

When I was in Spokane last summer the freeway looked about half finished. The whole project needs to be completed to ensure it meets the original objective, that getting through traffic off the main arterials. Inslee may or may not have much regard for Eastern Washington, but some forget he represented central WA’s 14 district.

[pnwguy2]

.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

When I was in Spokane last summer the freeway looked about half finished. The whole project needs to be completed to ensure it meets the original objective, that getting through traffic off the main arterials. Inslee may or may not have much regard for Eastern Washington, but some forget he represented central WA’s 14 district.

Yes, but as of now, the project is on-time and on-schedule for the piddly amount of the budget that they have been getting so far.

Now, Inslee doesn't even want to give them that.

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by PS90

https://www.krem.com/article/money/e...5-b5916049746c

I don't think that this is surprising in any way. After all, King Jay can't see Spokane from the Space Needle, so he doesn't care about our votes.

I especially like this:

"Current priorities in the transportation budget include:

Improvements to traffic safety, like bike lanes
$1.12 billion over ten years for a hybrid-electric ferry system, plus more than $20 million on training and hiring ferry workers
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives"

So, basically, a much-needed major arterial through Spokane is less important than bike lanes, brand-new ferries and "diversity initiatives".

How does this guy keep getting elected?

Oh, that's right - Seattle.

I saw that an electric ferry is going to be built to service a island in the San Juan that has 86 people on it. Those residents are not happy as they like their current ferry as per interviews on a local TV station.

[509]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

That is actually not true. In fact it is the opposite. Western Washington contributes far more in tax dollars than it receives. In Eastern Washington it is the opposite. Eastern Washington receives far more tax dollars than it contributes. Western WA has been subsidizing Eastern WA for decades, and to the tune of billions and billions of dollars. Here is the most recent report I could find that looks at state revenues and expenditures on a county-by-county basis. Thurston has the most state spending because the capital is there but setting Thurston aside, the top 10 counties for revenues received versus contributed are the following (with the ratio of dollars received versus contributed). In other words, Whitman County gets $2.13 dollars from the state for every $1 it contributes. While King County gets $0.54 back for very $1 it contributes. Eastern counties I'm coloring red, western counties I'm coloring blue and using the Cascades as the diving line, not the geographic center of the state.

TOP 10 COUNTIES IN REVENUES RECEIVED VERSUS CONTRIBUTED

Whitman: 2.13
Mason: 2.07
Walla Walla: 1.83
Okanogan: 1.78
Franklin: 1.76
Yakima: 1.72
Grays Harbor: 1.66
Adams: 1.64
Pacific: 1.62
Stevens: 1.59

BOTTOM 10 COUNTIES IN REVENUES RECEIVED VERSUS CONTRIBUTED

San Juan: 0.41
King: 0.54
Skagit: 0.77
Chelan: 0.83
Snohomish: 0.86
Jefferson: 0.86
Whatcom: 0.89
Island: 0.91
Columbia: 0.95
Klickitat: 0.96

Spokane County is right in the middle at #19 with $1.32 dollars received for every $1 contributed. Which still means that Spokane County receives 2.4x more from the state than King County for every dollar it contributes. Basically Puget Sound is the economic engine that subsidizes the rest of the state.

Source: https://ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/fil...s_revenues.pdf

That's fine.

That ANALYSIS did NOT include REVENUE and EXPENDITURES by the Washington state DOT.

DATA is OLD. But last time I combined both data sources, it was a push. Western Washington sends social services dollars to eastern Washington and eastern Washington send gas tax and transportation dollars to Western Washington.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by 509

That's fine.

That ANALYSIS did NOT include REVENUE and EXPENDITURES by the Washington state DOT.

DATA is OLD. But last time I combined both data sources, it was a push. Western Washington sends social services dollars to eastern Washington and eastern Washington send gas tax and transportation dollars to Western Washington.

Where are the DOT data you are referencing? I can't find them anywhere.