Pierce Transit reductions puts Sumner in tough spot

For years, the City of Sumner has benefited from robust service from Pierce Transit, including a fixed route 409 and a route connecting the Bonney Lake park and ride to the Sumner Sound Transit station, route 496.

But after the failure of Proposition 1 in 2011, in short order Sumner’s service level depleted significantly.

While the city paid close to $2 million in taxes to Pierce Transit in 2010, total cost of services post reductions is only about $500,000.

Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow’s decision then to pull out of the Pierce Transit Transportation Benefit Area, although disheartening to groups like Vadis, is a valid one.

If Enslow were to keep Sumner in the benefit area, he said the city would be likely to lose Route 496 in June, a decision told to him by officials with Pierce Transit.

That’s a big blow to a city that relies heavily on a central transit station. Bonney Lake, which is removed from the benefit area, would be equally affected.

No doubt, this is a hard decision felt by Enslow, who also sits on the Sound Transit Board of Directors.

In equal measure, Kathy Hall’s plea to Enslow to reconsider for Vadis’ sake is also valid. Vadis depends greatly on Pierce Transit’s shuttle service for its clients to get to the Vadis office. These are people who, because of their disability, are unable to drive on their own.

The Herald believes Enslow’s decision rules out. He thinks it makes no sense for residents to continue paying for service that just isn’t there. The Herald agrees.

This situation brings up a question that Pierce Transit needs to answer. If Sumner pays close to $2 million in taxes and now only gets $500,000 worth of service, where, exactly, is the other $1.5 million going to?

Before Enslow made his decision to pull Sumner out of the benefit area, he also pleaded his case to Pierce Transit.

Enslow likes the service Pierce Transit provides Sumner residents but all he asked was for a little more. Pierce Transit said no and said in fact we’re going to take more away.

The Herald thinks Pierce Transit should take a hard look at its numbers. The agency needs to get more creative in its thinking. Maybe there are efficiencies in its financials that are being overlooked.

On March 8, Pierce Transit will have a public hearing to take comment on the proposed revised boundary delineation at its headquarters. The Herald strongly encourages the public to attend this meeting and make your voice heard.

Bus service is a valuable component of a healthy economy. It provides a means for people to travel to work, to run errands and visit others. Like Hall said, bus service also provides leverage for cities to apply for grant funding and drive infrastructure growth. If you want bus service to remain healthy in your city, make your voice heard.