Seattle City Councilmembers voted today to put the renewal of the Seattle Transit Measure – doubling the current sales tax that pays for extra transit service – on this November’s ballot. Today’s vote followed a review process before an all-council committee chaired by District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka. You can read the text here. The council announcement of today’s vote summarizes what the measure will do if voters pass it:
The 2026 STM is funded by a 0.3% sales tax and is expected to generate approximately $138 million annually over the next 10 years. If passed, the new STM is anticipated to boost Seattle’s transit from approximately 180,000 bus trips per year (in the expiring measure) to 280,000 bus trips per year – a 47% expansion of service. In addition, the measure will make key investments in:
-Expanding the transit access program to provide fully subsidized transit passes for an additional 12,000 Seattle residents;
-Allocating funding to support the recommendations of the King County Regional Transit Safety Task Force;
-Providing funds for accessibility infrastructure projects that will make the transit network more equitable; and
-Prioritizing electric transit service in the Duwamish Valley and South Seattle.
The current measure, funded by a 0.15% sales tax, expires next spring.
As noted when the expansion was announced by Mayor Katie Wilson last month, it also would raise some money for the city’s support of West Seattle light rail and other in-city Sound Transit projects.
Now that the council has given its approval, the mayor has to sign it to officially finalize sending it to voters. She says she’ll do that at a City Hall event next week.
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