Clark County Council members on Wednesday heard a detailed presentation from C-Tran staff outlining how a potential high-capacity transit subdistrict could be used to fund light rail operations tied to the Interstate Bridge Replacement project (IBR).
The presentation comes as C-Tran’s board continues to grapple with disputes over board composition as representatives from small cities, including Battle Ground, Ridgefield and La Center, seek to limit financial exposure as their residents may see little benefit from light rail. The county council holds three voting seats on the C-Tran board.
Council Chair Sue Marshall noted the subdistrict concept emerged as a way to address concerns from smaller cities that fear paying for a system their residents may not use.
“Some have suggested they would just pull out of C-Tran altogether to protect their taxpayers,” she added.
C-Tran Deputy Chief Executive Officer Scott Patterson walked councilors through existing policy language, state law and a funding mechanism under Washington’s high-capacity transit act that would allow a smaller taxing area within the agency’s district.
“I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about an issue that has recently surfaced to a larger extent at the C-Tran board of directors,” Patterson said. “One of the potential options to help fund IBR or light rail O&M is the high-capacity transit subdistrict option.”
Under current C-Tran policy, the agency “may participate in funding the operations and maintenance of the bi-state transit,” including light rail, as part of the bridge replacement project. Any new tax would require voter approval.
Patterson emphasized that state law allows only one successful vote within a subdistrict for high-capacity transit funding. Any future expansion would require a districtwide vote.
This would mean if C-Tran creates a subdistrict and the voters approve it for funding, in this case, the light rail component of the IBR program, any subsequent votes to expand high-capacity transit would require, without any further changes in the RCW … the full district to vote on that,” Patterson said.
Patterson said any decision to pursue a subdistrict would rest solely with the C-Tran board, likely at the outset of a formal process under the high-capacity transit act. That process includes forming a regional policy committee, developing a long-term system and finance plan and convening an expert review panel appointed by state leaders. The regional policy committee, according to Patterson, would likely consist of the C-Tran board and one voting representative from WSDOT.
“It would need to happen at the front end,” Patterson said. “A lot of the funding analysis needs to be done based on a specific geography.”
Councilor Michelle Belkot pressed Patterson on financial risk, citing recent budget problems reported by the Portland-area light rail.
“What legal protection can our taxpayers expect to protect us from financial burdens like that?” Belkot asked.
Patterson responded that safeguards would be negotiated through formal agreements with TriMet if the project moves forward.
“Where those provisions would be built in would ultimately be an agreement that would have to be executed and approved by the C-Tran board with TriMet,” Patterson said. “That would be the opportunity to consider some provisions that would address some of those issues as well.”
Councilor Matt Little asked if, rather than a subdistrict, funding could be structured around proximity to the rail corridor rather than hard boundaries, taxing residents a higher percentage based on proximity to the bridge. Patterson said the current state law does not allow graduated tax rates based on distance.
“My understanding is state law does not allow us the opportunity to do that,” Patterson said. “I do not believe there is any allowance in the RCW specific to transit funding that would allow that.”
Councilor Glen Yung stressed the importance of WSDOT expertise in any future regional policy committee. He suggested, however, that the WSDOT representative could be a non-voting member.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has threatened to withdraw funding for C-Tran after the approval of a new board composition. This new structure allocates three seats to the City of Vancouver, Clark County, and smaller cities, respectively. WSDOT argues that Vancouver should have more seats due to its larger population, as mandated by state law. However, a Thurston County judge has since intervened and halted this decision.
Patterson said establishing a subdistrict itself could happen relatively quickly if the C-Tran board directs staff to proceed, though placing a tax measure before voters would take longer.
“The initial action in establishing the subdistrict can be in the next couple of months if there was interest and support to do that,” Patterson said. “The full process, including a ballot measure, is probably 18 to 24 months.”
The C-Tran board of directors will decide on approving a potential subdistrict in a future meeting.
According to reporting by OBP, a $100 million federal package to support funding the light rail portion of the IBR prograam was included in the $1.7 billion in capital investment grants that was signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Washington Senator Patty Murray’s office issued a statement noting that House Democrats rejected a proposal from House Republicans to significantly reduce funding for Capital Investment Grants (CIG) by 98%.
“Washington state, and many states, relies on Capital Investment Grants to fund many transit projects that really matter to our communities, so decimating our federal investment in public transit? Not on my watch… Instead, we secured $1.7 billion for CIG—and we took new steps to specify which projects to fund, at which amounts. For example—this bill sets aside $100 million for light rail on the I-5 bridge for the Interstate Bridge Replacement program, and $82 million for bus rapid transit in Spokane, both projects I’ve been fighting for, for a very long time,” she stated.
A 2024 construction estimate noted track and stations for light rail could cost $290 million alone. Updated estimates presented to the C-Tran Board on in October last year show operations and maintenance costs at $10.3 million a year by 2035, down from the previous $21.8 million estimate for 2033. O&M costs would be shared between C-Tran and TriMet in Oregon.
