A court ruling has temporarily blocked the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) from enforcing an Oct. 1 deadline that could have cut off millions in grant funding for C-Tran.
C-Tran Board Chair Molly Coston told members she canceled last week’s scheduled Board Composition Review Committee meeting following the ruling from Judge John C. Skinder in Thurston County Superior Court.
“As you know, C-TRAN just yesterday received a response from Thurston County Superior Court Judge John C. Skinder granting C-TRAN’s request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) prohibiting WSDOT from enforcing the October 1, 2025, deadline,” Coston wrote. “There will be an additional hearing on October 3, 2025, to consider the issuance of a Preliminary Injunction against WSDOT. In response, I have decided to cancel tomorrow's Board Composition Review Committee (BCRC) meeting. Once we have a better indication of the legal decisions forthcoming, I will schedule another BCRC meeting.”
The dispute centers on how seats are divided among Vancouver, Clark County, and the county’s smaller cities on the transit agency’s board. In early September, the board approved a “3-3-3” structure giving each bloc three seats, despite WSDOT guidance calling for more seats for Vancouver and Clark County. WSDOT said failure to comply could jeopardize up to $10 million annually in state transportation grants.
Ridgefield Mayor Matt Cole, who has pushed for the 3-3-3 structure, welcomed the judge’s decision. Cole and other small city representatives have contended that granting more seats to Vancouver or Clark County would effectively give Vancouver a majority, given that three county council districts overlap with Vancouver’s urban growth area. Small city officials have argued that allowing Vancouver a representative majority on the board would violate state law.
“I think it's a positive step forward because it means C-Tran is not going to be immediately at risk of losing grant funding, and it'll get to make its case on why our board composition decision was the best outcome for Clark County,” Cole said.
Cole said he remains focused on building cooperation among cities and the county as they face major transportation decisions, including the I-5 bridge replacement. The board composition issue arises at a time when smaller cities have opposed the potential inclusion of light rail in the I-5 bridge project.
While Vancouver and most county councilors support the project, smaller cities remain hesitant to approve a countywide tax increase for light rail, which would primarily benefit Vancouver. Cole and Battle Ground Mayor Troy McCoy have both argued that WSDOT’s position on board representation is politically motivated.
“I think it's really important that everybody is involved with C-Tran, so the cities that are participating on the board, as well as the county council members who are also participating on the board, can really roll up their sleeves, work hard together to kind to to find some middle ground that will get some proactive resolutions in here,” Cole said.
Looking ahead, Cole warned that forcing smaller cities out of the agency would hurt the entire county. In recent months, Camas officials have floated the idea of leaving C-Tran based on the outcome of the light rail. Lessening representation, Cole argued, would only hurt relations.
“That would result in a serious amount of lost revenue for CTran that I think would be, it would be a poison pill, and I don't think that's what's in the best interests of anybody,” Cole said.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Oct. 3 in Thurston County.
