The C-Tran Board of Directors on Tuesday approved a new spending plan that boosts the agency’s operating budget during the next two years and commits to several large capital investments.
But approval of the 2015-2016 budget was anything but routine, culminating in a 5-3 vote after a few board members voiced disapproval with the direction of the agency.
One board member, Clark County Commissioner David Madore, said the transit agency should consider drastic changes to its business model in an effort to boost stagnant ridership. He suggested slashing fares to “a quarter” and better promoting the service. The budget adopted Tuesday, he said, represents the “same old, same old” approach.
“We can do better,” Madore said.
Most board members, however, didn’t appear to be interested in wholesale changes during the last meeting of 2014 for a budget that takes effect in 2015.
“I have no desire to redesign our system on the fly,” said Vancouver City Councilor Jack Burkman. “Having this discussion right now makes no sense to me.”
The two-year budget lays out significant revenue increases, driven mostly by rising sales tax collections. C-Tran expects to collect $82.7 million in total sales tax revenue in 2015 and 2016, or about $13 million more than its adopted budget for 2013 and 2014.
The transit agency’s total budget of $111 million in 2015-2016 represents a 13 percent increase from 2013-14.
The larger operating budget will allow C-Tran to hire 10 more fixed-route bus drivers during the next two years, replace dozens of bus shelters and take on minor maintenance projects, among other changes. A separate capital budget would spend $28 million on larger projects in the next two years, including a planned bus rapid transit system in Vancouver.
The budget would add about $9.5 million to C-Tran’s overall fund balance. The agency operates debt-free.
Madore was joined by fellow county Commissioner Tom Mielke and Washougal City Councilor Connie Jo Freeman in voting against the budget. Jeanne Stewart, attending her first C-Tran board meeting as a county commissioner, joined the majority in voting in favor of the budget.
New board makeup
Tuesday was likely the last C-Tran board meeting with its current membership. A new board composition is expected to take effect next month, after a 10-member committee voted in November to shake up the various jurisdictions’ representation on the C-Tran board.
The change cost Clark County one of its three seats on the board to give more representation to some of the smaller cities on the board. The county and Vancouver both lost their veto power on the board in the process.
Clark County commissioners have since objected to the outcome, arguing that C-Tran didn’t provide proper notice for the Nov. 18 meeting where the decision was made. The commissioners last week directed their legal staff to investigate whether C-Tran followed the law and take legal action if necessary.
Madore then announced on his public Facebook page that the county was “suing” C-Tran and would seek a court injunction blocking the change to the board makeup. As of Tuesday, however, nothing had been filed by the county.
C-Tran announced the meeting and published an official legal notice more than a month in advance. The agency believes it fully complied with the state’s Open Public Meetings Act, C-Tran Executive Director Jeff Hamm said Tuesday.
