Rep. John Ley urges area residents to show up to tonight’s Clark County Council meeting to support Belkot’s efforts

Body Copy:

Rep. John Ley 
for Clark County Today

A heated battle is underway related to the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR) and the demand to extend TriMet’s MAX light rail 1.83 miles from the Expo Center into Vancouver. 

The $2 billion price tag would make this the most expensive rail project in the world, on a per mile basis. TriMet is also demanding “new taxes” of $22 million each year from both states to cover light rail operations and maintenance (O&M) costs. They are also demanding up to triple the actual cost of 19 new light rail vehicles. 

This has recently come front and center for the C-TRAN Board of Directors. In November, they reversed their 2022 position which indicated they would NOT be responsible for O&M costs. When the bill came due in December, it showed Clark County taxpayers were being asked for $7.2 million per year. Several members of the C-TRAN Board balked and are seeking to reverse their November decision. 

At the March 11 board meeting, the scheduled vote was tabled to the April meeting. This was after Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnery Ogle asked each member how they were going to vote, and she knew her November position was going to be reversed. The next day, Clark County Council Chair Sue Marshall led an effort to remove Councilor Michelle Belkot from the C-TRAN Board because Belkot was going to vote against funding TriMet’s O&M costs. 

The political long knives came out to force a vote that would preserve light rail and protect TriMet. One must wonder why the Vancouver mayor and four members of the County Council would want to protect TriMet. Why would any member of the C-TRAN Board want to protect TriMet’s outrageous demand to pay for a 4,360-foot extension of light rail that will be in Washington? 

Currently, C-TRAN express buses depart every 20 minutes on the I-5 corridor during rush hour. But they travel an average of almost 30 mph compared to the Yellow Line that travels at 14 mph. Light rail has a stop roughly every mile as it travels through north Portland. Nobody wants to travel that slow. 

The dollars and cents 

C-TRAN took in $ 83,796,054 in sales tax revenues last year. They also took in another $2,871,633 from passenger fares. Using that $86 million, they operate 120 vehicles to provide Fixed Route service on 433.5 route miles. They also use 72 vehicles to provide Demand Response paratransit service within the Vancouver Urban Growth Boundary and the cities of Battle Ground, Camas, and Washougal. Additionally, they operate a fleet of 24 vehicles to provide Vanpool service. 

Compared to $7.2 million for less than one mile of light rail service, taxpayers are getting much better value with C-TRAN. They offer much more service. During peak hours, their Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service offers 10-minute departures during peak hours, whereas the MAX Yellow Line only departs every 15 minutes during peak hours. 

There are about 193,000 households in Clark County. They paid an average of about $434 per household towards C-TRAN last year, ($83.7 million/193,000). The TriMet demand would be for each household to pay an additional $37 per year, increasing with inflation. On top of that, the IBR is demanding tolls that could run as high as $2,350 per year for using the I-5 Interstate Bridge, as early as 2026. 

Looked at another way, each of the five Clark County Council districts would be taxed for $1.45 million a year. Why does Councilors Sue Marshall, Glen Yung, Wil Fuentes, and Matt Little want to raise taxes in their constituent districts by $1.45 million a year. Or why would Vancouver’s mayor and City Council want their citizens to pay roughly 36 percent or $2.6 million per year in light rail O&M taxes, in addition to the $2,350 in annual tolls? People’s property taxes are already far too expensive. 

Tuesday evening, the Clark County Council will meet, beginning at 6 p.m. on the 6^th floor of the County Public Service building at 1300 Franklin St, Vancouver. Public comment is near the beginning of the meeting.  

Show up and express your opinion. Michelle Belkot wants to protect your wallet and NOT pay for TriMet’s light rail O&M.