Metropolitan King County Council 516 Third Ave., Rm. 1200 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-1000 Toll Free: 800-325-6165 TTY/TDD: 206-296-1024 Fax: 206-296-0198 council@kingcounty.gov
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Oct. 22, 2008 Employee incentive program targeted for budget savingsDowntown employees offered $20 a month to walk or bike to workA new program announced last month by the County Executive to offer a $20 incentive to downtown County employees to walk or ride their bikes to work would be halted, under a recommendation today from the King County Council’s annual budget committee.
“When taxpayers are faced with losing critical public services and hundreds of employees are faced with losing their jobs, now is not the time to pay people to ride their bike to work,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, chair of the Council’s 2009 Budget Review and Adoption Committee. “I have long promoted alternative commute strategies and we administer one of the most extensive and successful commute trip reduction programs in the state, but in this budget crisis we have to keep the public’s trust by keeping our eye on the public’s priorities.”
The “Walk and Bike Incentive Program” offers King County employees who work in downtown Seattle $20 for every month in which they either walk or ride a non-motorized bicycle for more than 50 percent of their work trips. Based on the 155 employees who have registered for the program since it was first announced on September 15, the incentive could draw as much as much as $37,000 a year from the County general fund.
“In light of our critical need to fund public safety, offering financial incentives for employees to walk or ride their bike to work seem unnecessary at this time,” said Councilmember Jane Hague, a co-sponsor of the legislation.
“While promoting commute alternatives for our employees is a laudable goal, in today’s budget climate we must prioritize where we spend our tax dollars,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson, another co-sponsor.
“The County Executive is expanding this incentive program at a time we are contemplating cuts to programs such as drug enforcement, domestic violence, child custody kidnappings, vice, and police investigations,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, another co-sponsor. “It is clear that protecting the public needs to take a higher priority than encouraging walking or biking to work.”
To reduce commute trips, King County currently provides bus passes, bike lockers, worksite showers, and alternative commute vouchers to employees outside the Seattle Central Business District. The scarcity and cost of parking along with high fuel prices also provide a financial incentive for employees to walk, ride, take the bus or carpool to downtown Seattle work sites.
In a Sept. 29 letter to the County Executive, the Council’s budget leadership team identified suspension of new initiatives that may increase the cost of government, such as the “Bike and Walk Incentive Program” as one of 12 steps King County could immediately take to save money and reduce the general fund deficit in 2009 and beyond.
The legislation to suspend the incentive program has been forwarded to the full County Council for final action.
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