King County Metro Gets Car Tab Revenue. Why Not Us?

On Monday, the King County Council approved a two-year, $20 fee on car tabs that will help fill King County Metro’s $60 million budget shortfall and stave off a 17 percent cut in service.

Why doesn’t Community Transit seek a car tab fee?

Short answer: We can’t.
Longer answer: We tried. The original bill to give transit agencies the authority to temporarily raise revenues with a “congestion relief” or car tab fee was written with Community Transit in mind by state Rep. Marko Liias. Ironically, Community Transit and Pierce Transit were excluded from the bill when it finally passed out of the state Senate Transportation Committee.

Why don’t we raise money some other way?

Short answer: We have done what we can.
Longer answer: We have raised bus fares twice in the past three years: local and paratransit fares in 2010, and local, commuter and paratransit fares in 2008. But the public service that is transit cannot be funded by fares alone.

Snohomish County voters approved a 3/10 of 1 percent increase in the sales tax in 2001 after the state took away a third of our funding that came from the motor vehicle excise tax. That vote put us at the state maximum 9/10 of 1 percent sales tax. As it happens, the only other agency in the state that has topped-out its sales tax authority is King County Metro.

As a result of the recession, agencies that have sales tax authority remaining have been asking voters to increase support for transit for the past two years; some have succeeded, some haven’t.

Bottom line for Community Transit: We need state support – in terms of direct revenue or new taxing authority – to help fund our service. Until that happens, the Community Transit Board must make difficult decisions to balance our budget, and Snohomish County residents face more painful cuts to public transportation.

Same Alternatives, New Mix for 2012 Changes

Just as the Hybrid Alternative (see previous post) is a mixture of existing proposals to reduce service, our revised "2012 System Changes" web page provides new ways to view existing information. Both the Hybrid and the web page have some differences compared to the originals which we hope are improvements.

New information now posted on the system change pages includes:

Board Asks for Comment Before Sept. 1 Vote

The Community Transit Board of Directors did not take a vote on a 2012 System Change alternative yesterday, but asked for more time for public review and comment on the hybrid alternative that has recently emerged.

Yesterday's pass sets up a likely vote on Sept. 1 as a decision is needed on a final service plan for staff to do all the work needed to implement the changes in February 2012.

The hybrid alternative came out of board discussions based on the public input about the original three service alternatives.

Potential Board Action on 2012 System Change

One of the action items on the Aug. 4 Community Transit Board of Directors meeting agenda is the February 2012 System Change - the proposed service cuts for next year.

Although this is a scheduled action item, depending on the board discussion there may or may not be a vote.

Over the past two weeks, since a July 21 board workshop on the service alternatives and public comment, a new hybrid alternative has emerged. Details are available on the website, but in a nutshell the hybrid alternative combines the commuter network of Alternative I with the local route network of Alternative III, with some modifications.

Take Transit to Summer Events

Perhaps you’ve heard of our “buy local for transit” campaign? Or of the “stay-cation” concept that makes sticking close to home sound fun?

It just doesn’t get any more local or festive than the community events hosted each summer around Snohomish County.

Since Community Transit strives to live up to our name, we participate in events when we can. Next week’s “National Night Out Against Crime” activities will bring Oxy Gene and Community Transit staff out to some neighborhoods in support of safety.

Our primary involvement is as a transportation provider.

Board Continues Consideration of Service Cut Alternatives

The Community Transit Board of Directors met July 21 to discuss the 2012 system change alternatives and go over public comment that was received since June 3.

The board is expected to make a decision on a final plan no later than September 1. Once a decision is made there will be a great deal of work required to implement the changes. New maps and schedules will need to be developed, necessary staffing levels must be determined and a major public education effort will take place before the service change occurs in February 2012.

The July 21 workshop featured several presentations and a lively discussion that did not arrive at any consensus as to what the final service plan will be.

Fare-Well to a Swift Original

More than 1 million people have boarded Swift since the service started in November 2009. Joyce Dews has talked to thousands of them as one of three people filling the job of Swift Ambassador.

Swift riders may not know her name, but they do know her trademark red hair. Even when she goes to the grocery store or visits a car dealership, people recognize her as “the bus lady.”

When she boards a Swift bus, some people – those who failed to pay their fare – jump off. “They all act like they’ve got somewhere important to go,” she explains. Ambassadors and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Deputies have worked together to issue hundreds of $124 tickets to non-paying riders so far this year.

A 60-something grandmother in real-life, Joyce is also the “mom” of Swift, the one who tells people not to eat on board, not to cuss, and to clean up after themselves.