Members of the Yakima City Council are debating the items that could be included in the 2018 budget for the city. One of these is a proposal to increase car tabs by about $20, an issue that has come up several times.
Although council members generally support the increase, which will enable them to fund sidewalk and street projects, critics argue that the fee places an undue burden on lower-income people. These objections have led the council to drop the idea in the past, but once again they are considering it in the new budget. Tara Lewis, who is Yakima's financial services manager, says members of the council back the measure because it will allow them to help residents in their districts.
An increase in car tab fees would bring in almost $1m that would be earmarked for the sidewalk and street projects. One project on the list is the revitalization of North First Street. Work here would include building new medians and installing decorative elements.
The proposed 2018 Yakima budget is $239.8m, which also proposes to eliminate tax breaks on private utility bills for businesses that pay more than $200,000 monthly for natural gas and electricity. The measure would enable the city to realize about $500K annually.
Officials who are considering measure like this, that can affect an entire community, could keep residents updated by working with a newsletter printing company on an informative letter.
