A suit to be filed tomorrow asks the judge to put on hold the decrease in the MVET to $30, pending the outcome of the trial. That threatens to derail the decrease at least temporarily. Those who have put your cars in the garage until January probably need to consider that they may stay there a lot longer than two more weeks. The culprits? Bainbridge and Bremerton, two of the areas that most benefit from heavily subsidized ferry service.

From the Seattle Times:http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/suit_19991214.html

Cities will challenge I-695 constitutionality

by Robert T. Nelson Seattle Times staff reporter Two communities dependent on the state's ferry service - Bremerton and Bainbridge Island - will file suit in Thurston County Superior Court tomorrow challenging the constitutionality of Initiative 695.

Jim Robart, the attorney representing the cities, said today he will ask the court to expedite the case so the decision can be sent to the Washington State Supreme Court next spring, along with other challenges to the initiative.

The initiative eliminates the state's vehicle-excise tax, replacing it with a flat $30 fee. A second section of I-695 prohibits government from increasing fees and raising taxes without putting the increase to a popular vote.

Residents of Bremerton voted for I-695. On Bainbridge Island, an overwhelming majority of voters rejected it.

The suit to be filed tomorrow seeks three forms of relief. It asks the court to invalidate the section of the initiative that eliminates the excise tax, and asks the court to overturn the section that requires a vote on all tax and fee increases. The suit also asks for clarification about agencies that prohibition covers.

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crosswinds.net), December 15, 1999

Answers

Craig,

You left out my favorite part.

Glenna Malanca, Bremerton's city attorney, called the suit a "tough decision" made out of a sense of "municipal responsibility."

"It took away the authority to manage the city," she said yesterday. "To allow that to happen is giving up on a very serious responsibility."

Was there something in I-695 removing "authority to manage the city?" What an absurd comment. I-695 removed the "authority to tax us for crap we don't want!"

-- Marsha (acorn_nut@hotmail.com), December 15, 1999.

Craig writes, in part:

"Those who have put your cars in the garage until January probably need to consider that they may stay there a lot longer than two more weeks."

This may be, but the cynic in me can't help but whisper, "Not to worry, judges are elected too."

-- Curious George (---@---.---), December 15, 1999.