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State Representative Sarah Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5511
For more information contact: Jodi Boyne 651-296-0640
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Transportation Bill is Unfair to the West Metro
To the Editor,
Three years ago, west metro commuters were the first drivers in Minnesota to get hit with toll roads. After already paying the taxes that built the road, they were then told that they would have to pay a second time if they want to avoid congestion. Other toll roads have been suggested, but to date we are still the only ones who get taxed twice to drive on our roads.
Two years ago, Hennepin County residents saw their sales tax increased without a referendum to build a sports stadium. As fate would have it, the new stadium will sit at the end of the I-394 toll lanes.
I bring up these two instances because they are symbolic of the continued unfair treatment of the west metro area handed out by the state legislature. We are continually asked to give more and receive less. That trend continued in the transportation bill that is now law.
For the second time, Hennepin County residents will get a sales tax increase imposed without a referendum. I supported an amendment to the bill, offered by fellow west metro representative John Berns, that would have allowed citizens to vote on whether or not they wanted another increase. Unfortunately, the amendment was voted down and we’ll start paying the higher sales tax soon.
What we get for the increase is questionable. All of the money - $1.1 billion over 10 years – is dedicated to transit, most notably light rail. There are four rail projects mentioned specifically in the bill, but a potential light rail along I-394 is not one of them. Yet again, the rest of the metro area will benefit from higher taxes paid by residents of the west metro.
In addition to unfairness in sales taxes, the bill as overridden by the Legislature specifically blocks Hennepin County from receiving money for local roads from the tax on leased vehicles. I believe that is grossly unfair to the citizens of Hennepin County, especially those who will pay the tax and see no benefit for their local roads.
The clearly unfair treatment of west metro taxpayers, the series of tax increases on gas, purchases, license tabs, and auto rentals, along with the fact that 65 percent of my constituents did not support a gas tax increase, led me to vote against the bill and to uphold the governor’s veto. I believe that, if given the chance, we could have passed a better bill. In fact, I supported an alternative transportation package that could have been the start of a great collaboration among all legislators and that would have treated everyone equally without adding to their tax burden.
Sincerely,
Sarah Anderson
State Representative
Plymouth and Medicine Lake
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