10/5/09

Commute Trip Reduction ordinance

Madam Mayor,

I rise in regards to the new Commute Trip Reduction or CTR code that is coming before the council in the near future. The current code that was passed in 2000 needs revision, and I support some of the draft revision elements. The existing code on the books appears to bring forth these regulations as if they were on behalf of the city council. I believe this is a mischaracterization, given that the Commute Trip Reduction code is mandated by the legislature of the State of Washington.

In fact, I bristle at the thought of the legislature of our state mandating this requirement on local governments. It is unwise at the very least, and Machiavellian at most. If people need an example of big government, this is it.

I wish to thank our planning manager, Mitch Kneipp for updating the draft to reflect the true origins of this code. In the findings section of the draft Commute Trip Reduction code, it states that the plan is required by state law. Thank you Mr. Kneipp for this important clarification.

The sections that are most painful to read are the ones that are copied straight from the state law. This includes suggestions that affected employers penalize employees for driving their cars to work by eliminating free parking and making them pay for parking at their place of work. The code also includes provisions that require employers to provide emergency rides home for employees, thus driving up the cost of doing business. And, the most painful of all provisions is the one that describes the responsibility for employers to self-identify. When a business hires more than 100 affected employees, they are subject to this law. Instead of making it the city’s responsibility to identify this business’ new requirement to develop a CTR, it is somehow the business’ responsibility to self-identify. Show me a businessman who scours the city code every time he hires one more employee to see if he needs to start complying with a new program, and I will show you a business that is focused on pleasing bureaucrats and politicians and not focused on his own business.

This is the death of a thousand paper cuts.

If anyone wondered why businesses are having a hard time dealing with the current regulatory environment, I believe this code, mandated by our state legislature is just one of the multitude of paper cuts that are bleeding our most productive entities.

Thankfully, our planning manager has taken a very good step in clarifying that the origin of this law is our state capital and not Washougal City Hall.