Voting begins on STA tax renewal as opponents point to budget surpluses

(The Center Square) – Ballot boxes opened Friday as voters consider renewing a 0.2% Spokane Transit Authority sales tax, while the agency continues to spend less and generate more than it had budgeted.

If approved, the sales tax, worth about $30 million annually, would continue to cost taxpayers 2 cents on every $10 spent until 2048. It is the only portion of STA’s 0.8% sales tax rate currently subject to voter approval, and STA has completed all but one of the projects it had planned since its passage in 2016.

The STA Board of Directors and finance team claim they need the 0.2% sales tax to maintain service levels and implement their Connect 2035 plan...