Everett residents who want to question city and Community Transit staff face-to-face about the proposed transit merger have one remaining chance: an open house Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Walter Hall Golf Course Banquet Room, 1226 Casino Road.

It is the only scheduled in-person public forum before a draft interlocal agreement is released in September and both the Everett City Council and Community Transit Board of Directors vote on the deal in October, according to a city announcement.

The consolidation would dissolve Everett's municipal transit system, which has operated for more than a century, into Community Transit. It would double the transit portion of the city's sales tax from 0.6% to 1.2% and raise Everett's overall sales tax rate from 9.9% to 10.5%. Under the interlocal agreement process, that increase would not go to a public vote, though a public hearing is required.

In exchange, the Rethink Transit Study projects the number of Everett bus stops with at least 15-minute service would jump from 219 to 590 by 2036, and the number of jobs reachable within a 30-minute transit ride would rise from 52,800 to 76,300. Five new bus routes would be added, and existing routes would run more frequently in preparation for Sound Transit's Everett Link light rail, expected in the late 2030s.

Who's for it, who's against it

At the Everett City Council's Aug. 5 meeting, Casino Road resident Guadalupe Vásquez urged the council to approve the merger. "Most Casino residents live in low-income apartments with limited parking spaces," Vásquez told the council. "This forces many families to depend entirely on public transit for work, school or medical appointments. This dependency has now become a crisis."

Vásquez cited the closure of the Fred Meyer on Evergreen Way, which left her neighborhood without a major grocery store and forced transit-dependent residents to wait 30 to 40 minutes for a bus.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 0833 President Steve Oss and Everett Transit bus drivers spoke against the merger at the same meeting, arguing the sales tax increase should go to a public ballot. Everett Transit operates 48 full-service buses and 25 paratransit vehicles with more than 160 employees. State law requires their labor contracts be honored through their duration under any merger.

Paratransit concern

Councilmember Judy Tuohy asked at the Aug. 5 meeting how paratransit services would be maintained. Everett Government Affairs Director Jennifer Gregerson said existing paratransit riders would be grandfathered in. Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz clarified that future users would need to meet ADA eligibility requirements. Everett Transit offers paratransit to seniors and residents with qualifying disabilities, according to the council discussion; Community Transit's eligibility follows ADA standards, which would apply to future riders.

What's next

Written comments are accepted at everettwa.gov/transitconsolidation through Sept. 2. Residents can also complete an online survey at bit.ly/etctsurvey, email [email protected], mail comments to City of Everett Communications at 2930 Wetmore Ave., Suite 10-A, Everett, WA 98201, or leave a voicemail at (425) 257-7121.

All input received by the Sept. 2 deadline will go to the council and Community Transit board before they vote. Gregerson told The Herald on Aug. 12 that a draft interlocal agreement would be released to the public in September. If approved in October, Ilgenfritz said at the same time that phased implementation of an integrated bus network could begin as soon as March 2028 and take up to four years to complete.

The open house is accessible by Everett Transit Route 12.