How exactly King County Metro Transit spends taxpayers’ hard earned dollars became a topic of considerable debate last year when the agency asked voters to approve tax hikes via Prop 1 last year. Voters rejected the ballot measure, and for good reason. Soon after, voters discovered that—contrary to the insistence of county officials—Metro was not strapped for cash and would not need to do away with the bus routes they threatened to cut.
Well, thanks to a new job listing, now we know one of the many ways Metro makes use of taxpayer dollars. According to the Seattle Times, Metro is “looking to hire a “comfort station coordinator,” which comes with an annual salary as high as $97,000, depending on experience.” The “comfort station coordinator” would be responsible for finding “bathrooms for the 2,600 drivers who keep the community moving.”
The job listing is Metro’s response to an audit conducted by the state Department of Labor and Industries that found “drivers were not provided unrestricted access to restrooms and some wore diapers.”
Yes, drivers need to be able to go the bathroom. No, Metro does not need to pay someone close to $100,000 per year for what is essentially a logistics project that could be taken on by existing staff.
Ladies and gentlemen, your tax dollars at work. Remember that next time Metro is asking for a tax increase.
