YAKIMA -- Tim Eyman says Initiative 985 will give voters the power to tell governments to spend their money on reducing traffic congestion.
It's an idea already gaining support from at least one Yakima county leader.
Some drivers in yakima are fed up with the timing of downtown traffic lights.
"You gotta stop too much, and just wastes energy and gas, so no it's annoying, not very happy with it," says driver Brandon Mingo.
"I think they could do a better job with it, I think they could really find out, you know, the flow of traffic, better times of day," says driver Jeffrey Hines.
The man who helped drop car tab renewal fees to $30 a year with initiative 690 feels their pain.
"I've always been frustrated where I'm driving 30 miles an hour down Yakima Avenue, I hit red every single time, why don't these guys synchronize these lights," says initiative author Tim Eyman.
Yakima leaders say they just don't have the money to overhaul the system.
"The city is aware that it is an important public concern, and something that we're also very interested in," says traffic engineer Joan Davenport.
West Valley native and I-690 author Eyman is back in Yakima, touting the benefits of Initiative 985 to Yakima county leaders.
"It's not requiring you to pay higher taxes, it's just requiring government to use the taxes you're already paying more effectively in order to bring about something that I think everyone thinks is a good idea," says Eyman.
Commissioner Mike Leita signed it.
He supports voters having a voice on how government spends money.
"My personal belief is the power belongs to the voters and that's why I signed the initiative. Government works for the voters," says Leita.
Eyman says 985 is based on recommendations by Washington State Auditor Brian Sonntag.
If the initiative passes, Eyman says it could divert up to $150 million a year for reducing traffic congestion.
Before I-985 can go on the november ballot, Eyman has to get the support for it.
He says he's halfway towards collecting the required 225-thousand signatures.
Eyman has until early July to get them.
