How much did Pierce County pay to defend the car tabs lawsuit?
Pierce County spent an estimated $12,745 to help the state defend the so-called $30 car tab ballot initiative in a lawsuit that went to the state Supreme Court.
Since last December, four attorneys in Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office civil division have spent an estimated 192 hours providing the state with supportive documents, a 21-page brief and client advice, according to documentation provided by the county to The News Tribune.
The prosecutor’s office used in-house attorneys to reduce the cost, office spokesperson Adam Faber said.
“That reflects a desire by this (Prosecuting Attorney’s Office) to save money by reducing the number of circumstances in which outside counsel is hired,” Faber said.
The Washington Supreme Court struck down Initiative 976 last month, deeming the measure unconstitutional. All justices agreed that the ballot measure contained too many subjects. Eight also said I-976 included a misleading title.
Justice Steven González pointed out in the opinion that the ballot title falsely suggested vehicle license registration fees would be reduced to $30 when the lowest possible cost would be $43.25.
The initiative would have reduced state vehicle registration costs by cutting fees to public transit agency Sound Transit and eliminating other add-on’s to the price of renewing car tabs.
Anti-tax activist Tim Eyman sponsored the measure last year. Fifty-three percent of voters statewide supported the tax roll back. Pierce County supported the measure with 66 percent approval.
After the initiative passed, Seattle, King County and others sued to block the measure.
County Executive Bruce Dammeier tweeted he was disappointed but not surprised by the Supreme Court ruling. Dammeier said he believes Pierce County voters who supported lower car tabs deserved to have their voices represented in the lawsuit.
“While the initiative didn’t prevail, their county government was defending their vote, their choice,” he said. “In Pierce County, we work for the people.”
Pierce County Council voted to help defend in the court case in December. Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnett filed Pierce County as an “intervener” in the case, allowing Pierce County a seat at the defense table.
“I had people who told me they voted against the initiative, but they supported the idea that we were intervening on behalf of the voters in Pierce County,” Dammeier told The News Tribune. “Even though they didn’t agree with the topic, they wanted the vote of the people to be upheld. They thought that was the most important principle.”
In 2016, Sound Transit asked voters to increase sales, property and car-tab taxes to raise $53.8 billion for 62 additional miles of light rail, 37 new stations and the expansion of regional rail service.
Voters in Snohomish and King counties passed Sound Transit 3, while Pierce County voters rejected the measure. The public transit expansion package passed with an overall 54 percent.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
