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With the future of a $30 car tab measure hanging in the balance while a court battle over I-976 continues to play out, one state lawmaker is taking matters into his hands on behalf of Pierce County.

State GOP lawmaker eyes cheaper car tabs, Sound Transit reform

Republican state Senator Steve O’Ban — a longtime critic of Sound Transit — has had proposals for the past several legislative sessions to address high car tabs that came .

This session is no different.

鈥淚 call this my Trexit bill. Remember Brexit? Britain wanted to get out of the EU with because of its bureaucracy and high tax burden 鈥� I think of it as a similar notion,鈥� O鈥橞an said. 鈥淚 want Pierce County to be able to exit from the RTA, Sound Transit鈥檚 Regional Transit Authority with respect to light rail.”

O鈥橞an says with more than 66 percent of Pierce County voters approving I-976, and a majority voting against ST3, he has no doubt most of his constituents would back the move.

鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that Pierce County voters do not see the value of light rail, nor would I expect them to because I think it鈥檚 a system designed for Seattle and parts of King County; it probably serves their interests but certainly doesn鈥檛 serve the interests of my county,鈥� O鈥橞an explained.

鈥淪o I want to pull my county out of light rail, essentially out of ST3, [and] still pay for Sounder and express bus service. I think people see the value on that and we had those before ST3,鈥� O鈥橞an continued.

But when it comes to light rail and ST3, he says Pierce County voters have consistently been clear in their opposition, and not just regarding the car tab tax.

鈥淢y bill would take Pierce County out, and that would relieve it of the significant car tab tax increase, the sales tax increase, and the new property tax that Pierce Countians have to pay,鈥� O鈥橞an said.

Sound Transit lawsuit kicks off over ST3 car tab fees

He says the bill was actually inspired by an ST3 supporter.

鈥淭he idea frankly came from a columnist for the Seattle Times who is a big Sound Transit proponent, and he said 鈥榳hy do we have to keep messing with Pierce County and Snohomish County when they clearly don鈥檛 want this light rail? Let鈥檚 re-draw the RTA to basically just encompass King County.鈥� And I thought he鈥檚 right, so let鈥檚 do just that.鈥� Oban said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 pull Pierce out, and if Snohomish County wants to jump in on this bill that鈥檚 great too, they can be part of Trexit,鈥� said O’Ban.

That columnist was Danny Westneat at the Seattle Times, who made this recommendation a few days after the November election and approval of I-976.

“It鈥檚 time to cut those two counties out of the light-rail project. It鈥檚 not worth the endless political battling and decades of wasted resources on repeated votes just like this one,” in the column.

O鈥橞an hopes other Seattle Democrats may agree and help get a hearing in the session that begins next week, but it鈥檚 not clear how likely that is.