ISLAND COUNTY PASSES TRANSIT MEASURE

On August 18, 2009, Island County voters in Washington approved a sales tax increase of three-tenths of one percent (0.3%) to continue the existing level of service by Island Transit. Without the successful ballot measure, Island Transit was facing a 35% cut in services. The vote was 55% in favor to 45% opposed. This will bring their total sales tax up to the maximum allowed by the Washington state legislature, which is .9%. The folks who ran the campaign highlighted an S.O.S (Save our System) message, which is what the voters of Island County did, despite opposition by their local newspaper. This recent successful vote demonstrates that public support for transit in our state is not limited to urban areas or to good economic times. In fact in difficult economic times, and with the cost of fuel likely to rise again, public transportation systems are more important than ever to the health of our communities.