The C-Tran Board of Directors voted Tuesday night to postpone a controversial vote related to a previously approved condition on the IBR project until July, following a packed meeting that saw over two hours of public comment.Most who spoke were critical of Clark County Councilor Michelle Belkot’s removal from the board last month.
The condition under discussion stems from C-Tran’s 2022 approval of the IBR’s modified Locally Preferred Alternative. In November 2024, the board voted to revise its original language, removing a clause that explicitly barred C-Tran from funding light rail. The current debate revolves around whether to keep or reverse that revision.
Belkot, who had served as one of two Clark County representatives on the board, was ousted by a 4-1 vote of her fellow county councilors on March 12, one day after she was expected to cast a decisive vote on a motion that would have stripped C-Tran of any role in funding light rail operations for the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) project. Her removal blocked the motion from passing, flipping what would have been a 5-4 majority in favor into a 4-5 defeat. Belkot and supporters argue the action was retaliatory, illegal, and violated the Open Public Meetings Act.
She has since filed a lawsuit in Skamania County Superior Court, alongside a separate lawsuit and ethics complaints filed by Rob Anderson of Reform Clark County, alleging multiple civil rights and transparency violations by the councilors who voted to remove her.
Speaking first during the meeting’s public comment, Belkot called her removal unlawful and warned the board that moving forward on the light rail funding condition without waiting for the courts would "risk entrenching illegal acts and eroding trust."
“My lawsuit... challenges this as illegal on four grounds,” she said, highlighting alleged free speech violations, misuse of county authority, Open Public Meetings Act breaches, and her replacement's legitimacy. “Please wait to clarify to ensure C-Tran’s decisions are lawful and fair.”
Most speakers during the meeting sided with Belkot, some holding signs against her removal or expressing frustration over potential costs tied to light rail.
Bruce Barnes, a retired union electrician and longtime Clark County resident, said he was “disturbed” by what he viewed as political retaliation and a lack of transparency.
“I’m a registered Democrat and I’m disturbed at what has gone on here, quite frankly,” Barnes said. “We’re bankrupting elderly people out of this community,” he added, referring to what he described as excessive taxation and government waste.
Barnes raised concerns over political influence, highlighting Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle’s $1,000 contribution last year to Wil Fuentes’ county council campaign as a potential conflict of interest. McEnerny-Ogle holds a voting seat on the C-Tran board and urged the Clark County Council to support C-Tran’s involvement in light rail on Wednesday, Feb. 26, prior to Belkot’s removal.
“Money influences people, and when you want campaign contributions, you do what your campaign people want, right? I see it all the time. We see it in federal government. We see it in state government, we see it in county government,” he said.
But not everyone opposed the council’s action. Jay Franklin, a disabled veteran who said he has relied on C-Tran for more than a decade, defended the board’s direction and called Belkot’s removal justified. He affirmed Belkot’s duty was to vote as directed by the Clark County Council.
“When Michelle Belkot decided to go against the board that she represented in favor of the people she represented, she went against her mandate,” Franklin said. “By removing her from the board, she was held accountable.”
He also stressed that light rail expansion would improve commutes and support regional growth.
“You’d have significantly better commuter opportunities and significantly better opportunities for business interactions and local revenue,” he said.
Following public comment, Camas representative Tim Hein introduced a motion to delay any board action on the light rail funding condition until pending litigation over Belkot’s removal is resolved.
“Given the current litigation... It’s prudent to table this item or postpone action,” Hein said.
Battle Ground Mayor Troy McCoy seconded the motion as he expressed concern over misinformation about the board’s authority.
“This board is not proposing a sales tax for $2 billion in capital costs and light rail maintenance,” he said. “That’s nothing that’s ever been brought up to my council.”
Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to postpone the tabled item for three months. Until then, the current language remains in place, which states that C-Tran “may” participate in funding discussions.
