u/tokamak85

Pierce Transit may propose a 0.3% sales tax increase on the November ballot to expand service by 40%. This would fund 4 new routes, increase frequency on existing routes, and extend evening/Sunday service. Without it, service cuts could start by 2031 due to rising costs and stagnant funding since it last passed a funding measure in 2002. Full story at The Urbanist: https://www.theurbanist.org/pierce-transit-expansion-proposal-would-boost-service-40/

Yesterday evening a standing room only crowd of Pierce County residents, union members, transit riders and elected officials gathered at UW Tacoma to hear from Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello and Tacoma City Councilmember Kristina Walker, both members of the Sound Transit Board, to discuss Sound Transit projects. (The Future of Light Rail in Pierce County) The event was organized by Tacoma on the Go and the Transportation Choices Coalition as a part of the "Build the Damn Trains" campaign.

Executive Mello was emphatic that Tacoma will see light rail to Tacoma Dome by 2035 as Pierce County's highest priority. Both panelists noted how the project is in the draft EIS stage and should finish up with the final EIS by the end of 2027, so that it can get into design and construction.

An issue that came up a couple of times was the idea of "subarea equity", which requires that money raised in different parts of the Sound Transit district needs to stay in that part of the district. He said that because Pierce County has been waiting for its extensions and saving money in its account, it should not have to wait longer, and should not have to shoulder as much of the burden of addressing the funding gap as other subareas.

Councilmember Walker hit on the point that the Board is looking for many different avenues to reduce costs and look for new ways to pay for the projects that voters approved in 2016, including federal grants, flexiblity in acquiring right of way, and other measures controlled by the State legislature.

Executive Mello said that on May 28th, the Sound Transit Board will vote on changes to the ST3 program and encouraged everyone to be engaged in that and other upcoming meetings.