LOWER Mainland municipal leaders voted Friday to raise the gas tax two cents along with a temporary hike to property taxes to pay for the next round of transit expansion, including more frequent SeaBuses, expansion of the regular bus system and construction of the Evergreen Line.
The vote by the TransLink mayors council to raise the gas tax to 17 cents from 15 cents and set the stage for a temporary property tax hike came after extensive debate Friday morning.
All three North Shore representatives, including West Vancouver Mayor Pam Goldsmith-Jones, District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton, and City of North Vancouver Coun. Bob Fearnley voted in favour of the plan.
TransLinks Moving Forward plan aims to raise $44 million annually through the gas tax increase, which will take effect next April, and another $29 million through measures like vehicle levies, other driving fees and access to carbon tax revenue which must be negotiated with the province.
A property tax increase will come into effect in 2013-2014 if other funding sources cant be found. Most of those who voted in favour said increased property taxes would only be a last-resort stopgap measure.
But they said there was no other way to move forward with the plan, needed in order to start construction of the Evergreen Line before federal funding expired.
Walton, who is also chair of the mayors council, called the plan far from perfect but said it represented a compromise with the province that was the best I could get on the table.
If the plan hadnt passed, North Shore transit projects like more frequent SeaBus service, upgrades to the SeaBus terminal at Lonsdale Quay and improved bus service along Marine Drive would have been in jeopardy, said Walton.
