County council passes September Metro cuts

Published 1:18 pm Saturday, July 26, 2014

BY BRANDON MACZ

Reporter Newspapers

The King County Council has approved the first 161,000 hours of Metro transit reductions that cuts five bus routes that serve Issaquah, revises three that serve Issaquah and one that serves both Issaquah and Sammamish. The changes will start Sept. 27.

The vote, on Monday, July 21, came a week after the council failed to pass legislation detailing plans for moving forward with a potential 550,000 total cuts in Metro service over a long-standing revenue shortfall.

Issaquah bus routes to be cut include 200, 209, 210, 211EX and 217. Revised routes include 208, 214, 269, and 271.

Councilmember Rod Dembowski had called for a delay on July 14 to allow the council’s transit committee to review a revised ordinance that was substantively no different than what had been agreed to the week before. The transit committee passed the legislation to council with unanimous approval July 15.

“We should be growing the system,” Dembowski said, pointing to growing transit ridership. “It’s tragic that we’re cutting it.”

Another 188,000 service hours are to be cut in February, barring an upward trend in the county’s economic forecast and review by an ad hoc committee that the July 21 vote also created. County Executive Dow Constantine will be a member of that committee.

The county council-adopted legislation sets aside another 201,000 hours in Metro service reductions pending adoption of a 2015-16 county budget.

County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove said the county is already in a deeper financial hole than when it started eyeing bus routes for service cuts and reduction, especially with revenue coming in lower than forecasted. He added national experts will look at whether using reserves could spare some future cuts.

“That would be one-time funds, and that’s not always very dependable,” Upthegrove said.

Brandon Macz: 425-453-4602; bmacz@bellevuereporter.com