By Kevin Hanson and Dennis Box
Editor

A pair of tax measures are on ballots that should now be in the hands of area voters.

The general election is set for April 28 and King County distributes ballots 20 days in advance, meaning they should have been issued Wednesday, April 8.

Ballots are to be returned by first-class U.S. mail and, to be valid, must be postmarked by the 28th.

For those not wishing to use the mail, there are three options:

• ballots can be taken to a “drop-off van” that will be parked at the Tahoma School District building, 25720 Maple Valley-Black Diamond Rd., between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. April 25 and 27; it also will be at the district building from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, April 28.

• ballots can be placed in a 24-hour drop box, but there are none in Maple Valley, Covington or Black Diamond; drop boxes in the southern part of the county will be placed in Kent, Renton and Federal Way.

• finally, ballots can be hand-delivered to one of three “accessible voting centers.” One is at county election headquarters in Renton, another is at Bellevue City Hall and a third is at Seattle’s Union Station.

Local voters are being asked to decide, or help decide, two measures.

Covington Transportation Benefit District

The city’s Transportation Benefit District recommended a 0.002 sales tax increase for the improvements and maintenance to roads and sidewalks.

According to information provided by the city, the increase would expire in 10 years and would equal $0.20 for every $100 in taxable purchases.

City Manager Regan Bolli said Proposition 1 will create a “revenue stream of roughly $750,000 per year for street and sidewalk maintenance throughout Covington. Maintenance projects will be prioritized and accomplished on that basis.  Using a sales tax increase to fund street and sidewalk maintenance means the cost for such projects is shared with all those shopping in our city and not just Covington residents.”

Covington has been spending about $250,000 each year from the general fund for streets and sidewalk maintenance.

The revenue raised if Proposition No. 1 passes will be placed in a dedicated street fund according to Bolli.

King County

The countywide measure on the April 28 ballot seeks money to replace the region’s emergency public safety radio network, which is used primarily for dispatching police officers, firefighters, emergency medical staff and other first-responders.

Bond passage would authorize additional tax collections for a nine-year period, beginning in 2016. The ballot does not give a dollar figure to be collected, but notes the final tab would be 7 cents, or less, per $1,000 or assessed property value.

According to the King County Voters Pamphlet, the cost would be a bit more than $2 per month for a typical property owner.