In the wake of Proposition 1’s defeat, a group of local business leaders submitted a proposal to the C-Tran Board of Directors highlighting alternative sources of funding for light-rail in Vancouver.
Had it passed, Proposition 1 would have applied a 0.1 percent sales tax increase to fund operations of the light-rail component of the Columbia River Crossing (CRC).
Submitted today, the proposal was authored by a working group that includes members of Identity Clark County and the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.
The group’s cost-saving recommendations include:
- Ensuring that the cost of light-rail begins at the state line, not at Jantzen Beach
- Implementing light-rail rider fees, light-rail parking garage fees and commercial rent from parking garages
- Factoring in savings from bus routes that are eliminated by light-rail
The proposal read: “We are confident that by working together as a community we will be able to come up with a long-term solution acceptable to the Federal Transit Agency and not require an increase in sales tax.”
