Metropolitan King County Council 516 Third Ave., Rm. 1200 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-1000 Toll Free: 800-325-6165 TTY/TDD: 206-296-1024 Fax: 206-296-0198 council@kingcounty.gov
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Aug. 13, 2008 Town Hall Meeting to focus on Metro Transit suburban expansion amid major funding challengesMeeting increased demand with decreasing revenue The King County Council’s next Town Hall Meeting will be Monday, August 25 and will focus on Metro Transit’s efforts to expand suburban bus routes to meet skyrocketing demand, despite major funding challenges.
Rising fuel prices and an economic downturn have caused a record number of suburban residents to use Metro buses. Metro has used “Transit Now” funds for significant suburban route expansions in 2007 and 2008. However, the same forces driving demand for buses are also creating a funding crisis: Metro will receive $40 million less in sales tax revenue in 2008-2009 than originally projected and pay an extra $36 million for fuel.
The meeting will be held at the Kentwood High School’s Performing Arts Center, 25800 164th Avenue SE, Covington. The public is invited to meet face-to-face with King County Councilmembers at an informal reception starting at 6:00 p.m. The Town Hall will begin at 6:30 p.m.
“As fuel prices have increased, so has Metro ridership,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine, chair of the Committee of the Whole and the Council’s Transportation Committee. “Despite the financial challenges our transit system faces, we must find ways to continue to deliver as much service as possible to King County residents.”
“Suburban communities across King County have been growing rapidly, but Metro bus service has not kept pace,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn, host of the Town Hall and chair of the Council’s Regional Transit Committee. “Areas such as Covington and Kent’s East Hill have exploded from rural villages to full-blown urban centers and the people who live there need more transportation options.”
Councilmembers and the public will receive a briefing on implementation of the voter-approved “Transit Now” plan from Metro Transit General Manager Kevin Desmond and Service Development Manager Victor Obeso. Transit Now is using the voter-adopted one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax to expand public transit service in King County.
Metro staff will provide a briefing on the major funding challenges facing Metro and the options being considered to address the projected budget shortfall.
There will also be a panel discussion with members from the King County Transit Advisory Committee, who advise Metro Transit and county officials on transit issues and policies.
The public will have an opportunity to ask questions and share their ideas on transit. The Council will also take open public testimony on any issue at the end of the program.
More about Town Halls
Town Hall Meetings are part of Councilmembers’ initiative to “get out of the courthouse” and into the communities they serve. In 2008, the Council has held Town Hall meetings in Kent to discuss the Equity and Social Justice Initiative, in Burien to listen to the public on reshaping how the county cares for animals, in Shoreline to discuss public financing of King County elections, in Federal Way to review proposed changes to the King County Charter and at the Seattle Aquarium to discuss creating a “green” economy. Since 2007, more than 2,900 people have attended County Council Town Hall Meetings.
Each Town Hall is a special meeting of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, the only standing committee on which all nine members serve. It considers legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire Council.
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