Tacoma road repair tax measure now passing by 6 votes

A property tax and utility tax measure to pay for road repairs is now passing by six votes after several days of lagging behind by single digits.

Another 123 ballots were added to the countywide tally Thursday. Of those, 29 of them are from Tacoma, according to the Pierce County Auditor’s Office. As it stands, 17,753 people voted “yes,” and 17,747 voted “no.”

The additional ballots, originally held aside because they lacked signatures or the signatures provided didn’t match voter records, were added after voters signed documents attesting to their validity.

Anderson said her office used letters and phone calls to alert voters with problem ballots that they can still “cure” them until Nov. 23.

The measure, on the ballot as Proposition No. 3, would add a 1.5 percent tax on utility company earnings, which is usually passed on to customers, and raise property taxes by 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

City officials estimate the taxes would bring in $13 million a year in dedicated money for road work, from paving 167 blocks of gravel streets to filling potholes to adding sidewalks and disabled-access ramps.

They were packaged with a city sales-tax increase labeled Proposition A, which passed easily and will provide $4.5 million a year. It is the first dedicated road-improvement money to win approval from Tacoma voters since 1968.

The city also promised to add $30 million from the city’s general fund, and will try to secure $120 million in state and federal grants.

The taxes sunset after 10 years.

Election results become final on Nov. 24, when the votes are certified.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Tacoma road repair tax measure now passing by 6 votes."