On Feb. 9, more than three-quarters of voters in Walla Walla, WA, approved a 0.3 percent sales tax increase to support the Walla Walla County Public Transportation Benefit Area. This measure doubles the total transit sales tax rate to 0.6 percent.

The vote will allow the county’s public transit agency, Valley Transit, to continue providing service at current levels. Had it not passed, the agency announced that it would have had to cut its service by 50 percent, including the elimination of at least two bus lines and reduced frequency on others.

Valley Transit has coped with tight funding since 2000, when the repeal of a state motor vehicle tax meant a 53 percent decrease in its revenues. The agency had continued to operate with fare increases and service cuts, but even the recent tripling of fares from 25 cents to 75 cents was not sufficient to stop the projected shortfall.

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