CITY OF STANWOOD PRESS RELEASE

Contact: David A. Hammond, Finance Director
                360-454-5201

           david.hammond@stanwoodwa.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 15, 2022
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STANWOOD, WA — Voters Asked to Consider Transportation Benefit Fund Extension

Stanwood City Council voted unanimously during this week’s regular City Council meeting to ask voters to approve extending a sales tax to fund needed transportation system maintenance, development, and improvement projects.

The 0.2% sales tax ($.20 on $100) imposed at retail businesses within the city limits was the result of a 2013 special election that received 68% voter approval. The sales tax requires renewal via voter approval every ten years.

During the July 14th meeting, the City Council adopted Resolution 2022-10, which authorizes placing a 10-year renewal of the Transportation Benefit Fund (TBF) on the November 8th ballot for voter consideration.

City officials said the sales tax generates approximately $550,000 per year in revenues for transportation system maintenance, development, and improvement projects. Since the TBD’s inception, the city has utilized over $3.6 million in funding from the Transportation Benefit Fund to support Street Operations for qualifying capital projects, including more than one dozen pavement preservation projects, six sidewalk and ADA improvement projects throughout the city, as well as LED street lighting upgrades. 

The city has applied TBF dollars in the amount of $2,082,893 as required matching funds toward more than $5.9 million of state and federal grants, including state and federal Safe Routes to Schools sidewalk improvement projects, state Transportation Improvement Fund Overlay grants, and the Rural Town Centers & Corridors grants administered by Puget Sound Regional Council. These projects to date have led to 5.47 miles of new or resurfaced roads and 0.58 miles of new sidewalks, and 153 ADA-compliant ramp upgrades. Additionally, projects in process add another 1.58 miles of new sidewalk and 24 ADA ramps.

“Stanwood’s transportation benefit district has raised millions of dollars and helped fund many different types of projects across the city, from neighborhood sidewalks to new downtown pavement. Funding the TBD through a 0.2% sales tax ensures some of the cost of improving city streets is shared by the larger community using the roads – visitors, neighbors, and residents alike – rather than just city residents.” Councilmember Darren Robb.

City of Stanwood officials are now seeking six city residents to prepare “for” and “against” statements for the voter’s pamphlet. These volunteers will serve on a 3-person committee to prepare statements for or against the measure and rebuttals to the other committee’s statements.

Interested individuals are asked to email a completed application (found on our website) to the City Clerk at city.clerk@stanwoodwa.org by 3:00 pm on Friday, July 29, 2022.