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Regional Transit Task Force
Department of Transportation
KSC-TR-0824
201 S Jackson St.
Seattle, WA 98104-3856

Tel: 206-263-4515
TTY: 711
Fax: 206-263-3489

e-mail
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Task force recommends policies to guide transit service investments

King County formed the Regional Transit Task Force in March 2010 to consider a policy framework to guide service investments or—if necessary—contraction of the King County Metro Transit system.

The Metropolitan King County Council directed the County Executive to form the task force when it adopted the 2010 county budget. The council later issued guidelines for the task force.

The task force was formed as Metro was facing competing pressures: on one hand, strong demand for transit services countwide; on the other, rising costs and a steep decline in sales-tax revenues—an important source of Metro’s funding.

In this context, the task force was asked to identify short-term and long-term objectives for transit service investment, and to formulate a service implementation policy based on those objectives.

Members

The task force was made up of municipal and community stakeholders appointed by King County Executive Dow Constantine, plus three nonvoting members. A consultant facilitated the task force. read member bios

Regional Transit Task Force Members
Category Name
Accessible services Jane Kuechle
Economic development Kate Joncas
Economic development Christine Hoffman
Economic development Tom Pierson
Education Larry Yok
Education Josh Kavanagh
Elected official Suzette Cooke
Elected official Noel Gerken
Elected official Tom Rasmussen
Elected official Chris Eggen
Elected official Grant Degginger
Elected official Fred Butler
Environmental Rob Johnson
Environmental Chuck Ayers
Organized labor Carl Jackson
Organized labor David Freiboth
Puget Sound Regional Council Bob Drewel
Rider Bob Swarner
Rider Carla Saulter
Rider Shiv Batra
Social services Estela Ortega
Social services Lynn Moody
Trip reduction Liz Warman
Trip reduction Jim Stanton
Transportation expert Steve Marshall
Transportation expert Jared Smith
Transit Advisory Committee Ed Miller
Nonvoting member  Kevin Desmond
Nonvoting member  Ron Tober (replaced by Greg Walker starting in September)
Nonvoting member Gene Baxstrom

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Year-one progress report

The Regional Transit Task Force issued its report and recommendations in November 2010. In the following year, Metro and King County followed the task force's guidance, taking a number of major steps forward. Read the year-one progress report.  [140 KB PDF]

EllisAward

Muni League honors task force

The Municipal League of King County honored the Regional Transit Task Force with its James R. Ellis Regional Leadership Award for 2011. The award recognizes the task force for its work to clarify transit service priorities during a time of budget reductions.

Final report

The task force completed its work on Oct. 21, 2010 and transmitted its report and recommendations to the King County Council and County Executive on Monday, Nov. 8. The task force participated in three public forums at which members discussed their recommendations. The report, presentations and other materials are available below.