The Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board unanimously adopted PSRC's recommendations to the 2006 State Legislature. The recommendations touch on six topics, they are:

1. Sustain the state transportation funding provided by the Legislature. The Puget Sound Regional Council has supported the Legislature in providing needed state support for transportation investment in the region through both the 2003 and 2005 state transportation packages.

The Puget Sound Regional Council strongly opposes any attempts to repeal the transportation funding enacted in 2003 and 2005.

2. Progress on transportation reforms. The 2005 Transportation Partnership Act, in addition to funding transportation projects, implemented a number of significant transportation reforms, including gubernatorial appointment of the State Secretary of Transportation; required performance audits of state transportation programs; increased audit oversight by the Transportation Performance Audit Board, and others.

The Puget Sound Regional Council calls on the Legislature to provide continuing oversight to ensure that these reforms are appropriately implemented, and that the projects funded in the 2003 and 2005 state funding packages are delivered.

3. Additional local transportation funding options. The Regional Council recognizes and appreciate that the 9.5-cent gas tax increase enacted in 2005 included a half-cent direct distribution to cities and counties for their local transportation needs. However, the overall local funding gap is growing, and the penny provided in 2005 is the first state assistance since 1990. During that time, local governments have been trying to meet mounting preservation and maintenance needs, as well as capital improvements needed to address growth. Additionally, Initiative 776 repealed a $15 vehicle license fee that went to local roadway needs, and a court decision invalidated a Street Utility fee used by some jurisdictions.

The Puget Sound Regional Council will continue to work, in partnership with member local governments, to effectively communicate the needs of city and county roadways, and asks that the Legislature consider authorizing additional tools for local governments and consider a variety of local transportation funding options, to raise additional revenues locally to meet these needs. The PSRC recommends that authority be granted to implement motor vehicle excise taxes, with local voter approval, to support local and regional road and transit systems.

4. Changes in regional transportation governance should not hinder progress in delivering regional transportation. The Regional Council supports continuing to look for ways to improve prioritizing and programming of transportation improvements that recognize the importance of linking transportation and land use decisions. It is critical that structural changes do not interfere with progress toward a regional ballot. Land use planning should precede transportation planning efforts. The PSRC emphasizes the importance of meeting the federal requirements regarding maintaining a properly designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in order to protect the flow of federal transportation funds to the region. Federal law requires any change in MPO designation be agreed to by the Governor, units of local government representing 75% of the region's population, and the largest incorporated city (Seattle). The Puget Sound Regional Council opposes attempts to amend enabling statutes of the Puget Sound Regional Council without the consent and advice of the PSRC Executive Board.

5. Changes to regional transportation legislation to continue to implement the region's transportation plan. Significant state and federal funds have been secured over the past few years for projects which make major progress in implementing the region's transportation plan. However, important road and transit projects across the four-county region remain unfunded. The next step is for the region to step forward with a regional contribution to supplement the state and federal investment to complete projects that are critical to the system and vital to our economy.

PSRC supports legislation that permits a single, integrated regional ballot measure that invests in road and transit projects. PSRC supports legislation that provides the region flexibility to establish the district boundaries; broadens project eligibility to permit investments in any project in the region's adopted transportation plan, including transit; eliminates the funding match requirements for local roads of regional significance; reduces reliance on the sales tax; expands MVET authority; and addresses technical issues, such as tolling authority, state bonding authority and formulation of the ballot title. The PSRC asks the Legislature to repeal provisions in the Transportation Partnership Act requiring that the region approve a regional transportation plan by January 1st 2007. The PSRC further recommends that PSRC shall review and determine whether the county councils' plan is consistent with the region's transportation plan .

6. Changes to the Commute Trip Reduction Program. The state's Commute Trip Reduction Task Force has conducted an in-depth review of the Commute Trip Reduction Program, and has made recommendations to make the program more targeted, more effective, more flexible, more aligned with transportation capital investment, and more closely tied to the Growth Management Act.

The Puget Sound Regional Council supports the recommendations of the CTR Task Force as long as the CTR legislation does not impose requirements on CTR programs or pre-empt local authority on how best to administer them.

In Other Business, the Executive Board: