Everett Transit and Community Transit Restart Annexation Talks

Snohomish County could soon have one fewer transit agency but much more bus service, after Community Transit and the City of Everett announced this week they're restarting talks to annex Everett Transit into the larger countywide transit agency. The move would double the amount of funding available for transit service within Everett, on top of eliminating redundant systems stemming from two separate transit agencies serving the city.

The idea of a merger has been floating around in Snohomish County for a long time, but a 2023 study made the potential benefits of annexation tangible. If both the Everett City Council and the Community Transit board ultimately sign off on the move, the dedicated sales tax stream going toward transit within the city would double from its current 0.6% to the 1.2% currently in place throughout the rest of the Community Transit taxing area.

According to that study, as reported at the time by The Urbanist's Stephen Fesler, an annexed Everett Transit could lead to a doubling of service levels within the city. That would likely translate an increase in the number of routes offering all-day service coming at least every 30 minutes from just three to 14 – a significant boost in the arm for local transit service across Washington's seventh-largest city. Where only three routes currently provide service until at least 9pm, that number could go up to 15 with consolidation.



A joint press release sent Wednesday touted a future interlocal agreement (ILA) between Everett and Community Transit that will be developed over the coming months, with both the Everett City Council and the Community Transit board set to consider adopting that ILA this fall. Prior to 2025, annexation would have required a public vote of Everett residents, but a change to state law made that year will allow the use of an alternative ILA pathway.

https://www.theurbanist.org/everett-transit-and-community-transit-restart-annexation-talks/