Politics & Government
Washington County Board Debate Over Transit Tax Continues
Commissioner Bill Pulkrabek has been insisting since January that the board vote on whether to pull out of the Counties Transit Improvement Board.
Washington County commissioners sparred Tuesday over whether and when the County Board should vote on remaining in the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB).
As a member, Washington County collects a quarter-cent sales tax, which funds transit projects throughout the metropolitan area.
Washington County Commissioner Bill Pulkrabek, who represents Oakdale and part of Woodbury, has been pushing since January for the Washington County Board to vote on whether to remain in the five-county group it joined three years ago.
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“I’m baffled over why this board is so scared of taking a simple vote on a position,” Pulkrabek said. “If you’re for CTIB and you’re for the sales tax, then man up and vote for it. If you’re not, then say that and vote that way. I don’t understand why it’s this big dance and this charade.”
Pulkrabek has said that because two commissioners—Lisa Weik and Autumn Lehrke—joined the board after the vote to join CTIB was taken, it’s time for another formal vote on the matter.
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In an informal poll at a workshop meeting in February, three commissioners said they supported remaining in the group, and two—Lehrke and Pulkrabek—said they preferred pulling out.
County Board Chair Gary Kriesel chided Pulkrabek for not being at a previous meeting at which the board asked county staff to report back on the ramifications of pulling out of CTIB, and suggested that Pulkrabek offer a plan for how the county would pay for transit projects without funding from the group.
“There’s no way that Washington County is going to build out a modern transportation system in our county without the deep pockets of Ramsey County,” Kriesel said. “If someone comes forward with a plan, I’m all ears.”
Weik, who represents the bulk of Woodbury, said last March—before the county assumed $8 million in bond debt for CTIB—that she suggested the board consider pulling out. She asked why Pulkrabek, then board chair, didn’t bring the issue up for a vote at that time.
In response, Pulkrabek asked why, if Weik wanted to vote on the issue last year, she didn’t want to vote on it now.
Taking on the bond debt in November was a “game changer,” Weik said, because now the board must protect the investment that taxpayers have already made.
Kriesel said if the board votes on the issue, it will be a “responsible vote” after commissioners hear from staff about the consequences of leaving CTIB—not a “knee-jerk reaction” or “bumper sticker vote.”
Washington County Administrator Jim Schug said the staff report on leaving CTIB is essentially done and should be ready soon for commissioners.
