Monorail board considers shorter line

The Seattle Monorail Project yesterday began considering a fall ballot measure to shorten the 14-mile line, a swift reaction to Mayor Greg Nickels' announcement that he was withdrawing his support for the financially stressed project.

The proposal, discussed at an SMP board meeting, could result in a public vote Nov. 8 to trim roughly a mile from the northern end of the proposed line in Crown Hill and another mile at the southern end, at Morgan Junction in West Seattle.

Some monorail officials insisted that the mayor's grim view of the project's financial health was wrong, but agreed they must deal with political realities. Last week, the agency was adamant that it could afford all 14 miles and resisted the idea of a new public vote.

"If we insist on holding out for what we know is the right thing to do — the ideal as well — we will likely end up with nothing," said state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, a nonvoting board member, in suggesting a vote for a shorter line.

The unusual Saturday session was part of an effort to stave off Nickels' threat, issued Friday, that if the monorail board doesn't produce a ballot measure by Wednesday, the city would write its own version asking voters if they still want the monorail. The deadline for filing a measure is Friday.

This would be Seattle's fifth public vote on the monorail; voters supported the concept the first four times.

The monorail board made no decisions during its meeting yesterday, but the shorter line emerged as a leading option.

"Good for them," said Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis. "That's a good step in the right direction."

Citing a city analysis of the monorail's finances, Nickels said Friday he was denying the monorail permission to build on city streets.

The SMP had been on the verge of signing a construction contract in mid-July, but public opposition forced the board to withdraw a 50-year, $11.4 billion financing plan for the $2.1 billion line and recruit a new executive director.

Board member Steve Williamson said yesterday he would back a revote, while Sue Secker and Cleve Stockmeyer showed strong interest but remained undecided. Richard Stevenson said any measure should be explicit, and "if voters don't approve it, that would be the end of the monorail project."

Chairwoman Kristina Hill opposes a revote, saying the agency should deliver the entire 14-mile route citizens approved three years ago.

A city-written ballot measure would be an advisory vote to gauge public feeling, because SMP is independent of the city.

Councilman Peter Steinbrueck prefers an SMP-written version because the agency would have to abide by the result.

"They've brought in new people with expertise and experience. I think we ought to give them one more shot at this," he said.

Stockmeyer said the agency must look this week at the range of what it can afford if revenues from the monorail's car-tab tax miss the agency's projections. The political standoff with Nickels exists in large part because SMP hasn't backed down from forecasts that its revenues would grow an average 6.1 percent a year through 2030 — much faster than inflation.

City Finance Director Dwight Dively says a more-sensible figure is 5 percent, and at that rate, "it would take you, perhaps, forever to pay off the debt."

Nickels said Friday there was a high risk that SMP would wind up paying 40, 50 or 60 years of tax — "the original, flawed financial plan."

Stockmeyer figures SMP needs to cut 40 percent from the current cost projection to satisfy the mayor.

Contractors previously estimated that cutting the ends of the route would save up to $135 million.

Stockmeyer yesterday suggested the agency could get rid of the winding segment over the Seattle Center lawn to Fifth Avenue and then Second Avenue. Instead, tracks could go straight down Second Avenue, saving $20 million to $80 million. SMP also could seek a $50 million exemption from state sales tax, and maybe $75 million in federal grants, he said.

Councilman Nick Licata said the new plan should include thinner, more-attractive steel columns — instead of concrete — downtown to make a shorter line more appealing to voters.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com