State senate introduces transportation budget

The transportation budget, which includes funding for new public transit, the Port of Moses Lake rail project and improvements for I-90 in District 13, was voted out of the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday.

The Senate Transportation budget adds up to nearly $8.5 billion in the 2017-19 years, according to an Office of Financial Management bill report. District 13, which includes Grant, Kittitas, Lincoln and Yakima counties, will receive almost $112 million over the next two years for transportation projects and road repairs.

The largest two projects, each receiving $13.8 million, are the road preservation and concrete rehabilitation projects on I-90. The Department of Transportation will replace deteriorating concrete lanes and repave road shoulders.

The budget also includes grants to improve public transportation between Moses Lake and local colleges. The transit center would receive $1.6 million in new funds as well as a combined $458,000 to add routes to Douglas and Kittitas counties. The new routes would go to Big Bend Community College, Wenatchee Valley College and Central Washington University.

Money is also allocated to the Port of Moses Lake for the Northern Columbia Basin Railroad Project. Richard Harnover, director of business development at the Port, said the rail project would create more shipping options for companies such as Chemi-Con, Genie Industries, Moses Lake Industries and SGL, which currently transport all their products by truck. The project will receive $5.4 million for 2017-19 and $14.5 million for 2020, the year it is slated to be completed.

Sen. Brad Hawkins, R-Wenatchee, a member of the Transportation Committee, said most of the items in the budget were part of transportation packages approved in the 2015 budget and this budget would release the second or third phase of funding.

District 12, which includes Chelan and Douglas counties and parts of Okanogan County, is set to receive $15.6 million over the next two years. District 9, which covers Adams, Asotin, Whitman, Franklin, Garfield and Spokane counties, would receive $41.7 million by 2019.

He said most of the budget was not controversial, with the exception of the salaries and benefits collectively negotiated by the governor’s office. Most state employee salaries are handled by the operating budget, but some, like Department of Transportation employees and State Patrol, are handled by the transportation budget.

King said the committee did not approve the negotiated raises for ferry captains and chief engineers on the ferry systems. He said the raises were high enough he thought the cost might be passed onto the consumers.

“That’s a lot of money; we want to make sure it’s justified and there are true reasons for it,” King said. “That it’s not just a giveaway or that kind of thing.”

Sen. Steve Hobbs, D- Lake Stevens, the ranking minority member on the committee urged the committee to vote down the budget because of the rejection of the collective bargaining agreements and some restrictions on the Department of Licensing. He also introduced an amendment to increase salaries for ferry captains, but it was voted down 9-6.

Hawkins said his highest transportation budget priority, state funding for a new bridge in Cashmere, did not make the cut this year. He said further changes to the state employees’ salaries and other projects might be negotiated in later.

Hawkins believes the transportation budget is likely to be the first to make it through the legislative process.

“I think out of all three of the budgets, this might be the first one to actually get to the governor,” Hawkins said. “I think the operating budget is going to be the big one.”

The transportation budget will head to the Rules Committee for further consideration.