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A Washington state lawmaker is calling foul on Sound Transit’s plan to charge $5 for parking once future transit stations come online.

“Most folks out here are finding out about this and are losing their minds,” told the Jason Rantz Show. “They are saying, 鈥榃ait a second, we already think we are paying too much. Now we are paying an extra $1,250 a year just to park our car.鈥� That鈥檚 crazy.鈥�

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Irwin represents the state’s 31st District, which includes Auburn, Bonney Lake, and Sumner. He points out that many of Sound Transit’s future projects coming to his region will include parking garages and other parking facilities, and the transit agency plans to charges $5 a day to use them. Irwin argues that residents are already paying $1,500-2,000 per household for ST3, not to mention car tab fees.

The $5 parking charge seems like another “money grab” to him.

For Irwin, it’s a perfect example of two hot-button political issues: the divide between rural and urban Washington; and the need for a truly representative Sound Transit board.

Rural vs. urban Washington

Irwin reports that agency officials sometimes say that if project funding is cut, things like parking garages will have to go. He said that he has talked with Sound Transit authorities about how they expect rural residents to handle the parking costs, or what they will do if there is nowhere to park at a transit station.

鈥淎nd they look at me, and they absolutely mean this, and say, 鈥榃ell, they鈥檒l just take the bus,鈥�” Irwin said. “There is no bus! There is no bus in rural King County, there is no bus in rural Pierce County. There is no bus. These folks don鈥檛 live in cities, that鈥檚 why they are taking Sound Transit to get there. Which is why it will be a huge impact for $5 per day for rural commuters 鈥� to have (ST3) jammed down their throat, most of them didn鈥檛 vote for it, and now they are going to end up paying more than anyone else for a project they didn鈥檛 want.”

鈥淎s a lawmaker who represents a rural part of the state, this is one of those really tough issues we are always talking about in Olympia saying there鈥檚 this growing rural-urban divide,” he said.

Unaccountable Sound Transit

is made up of local elected officials from cities and counties. They are appointed to the board. This dynamic has caused great concern over the representation, especially for an agency in charge of considerable taxes.

鈥淚鈥檓 not a big gotcha politics kind of guy, so let me say this and I really mean it 鈥� the folks on the Sound Transit board, most people have no idea who their representative is on the board because they are appointed,” Irwin said. “鈥� there鈥檚 like two people off the Lakewood City Council that are on the Sound Transit Board. Two people off a small city council. They鈥檙e smart folks, it鈥檚 not that they are bad. It鈥檚 just that there is no way they can represent Graham, and Puyallup, and Bonney Lake, and Sumner. They don鈥檛 live there.”

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a matter of being anti-rural, it鈥檚 more of 鈥榳here鈥檚 that on the map again?鈥�” he said. “鈥� we live in a society based on representation and we have a $50 billion-plus board that has zero representation of huge chunks of people who are being taxed.”

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Irwin is one lawmaker who has been fighting to change Sound Transit’s structure. He promotes an elected board instead of the current appointed one.

“We need to hold people directly responsible by having direct elections,” he said. “You have to have a desk to come in and slam your fist down on.”

鈥淚 believe we do need some sort of transit fix in the central Puget Sound region,” Irwin said. “We probably needed it in the 鈥�70s 鈥� it didn鈥檛 happen. Now we have a chance to do it. But if we don鈥檛 make people feel involved, eventually this thing will blow up. People have to know they are heard. If they continue to feel unheard, there is going to come a time for ST4 鈥� there鈥檚 no way that passes.”

In the meantime, Irwin strongly encourages residents within Sound Transit’s districts find out who their is and make their voices known.