RESOLUTION __________________

A RESOLUTION relating to Sound Transit, providing recommendations to the Sound Transit Board as to the content of the proposed Sound Transit 3 (ST3) ballot measure to be submitted to the voters in November 2016.

WHEREAS, a Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) was created for the Pierce, King, and Snohomish County region by action of their respective county councils pursuant to RCW 81.112.030; and

WHEREAS, in November 1996, the voters of the three-county Sound Transit district approved Sound Move, a ten-year regional transit system plan for high-capacity transit in the Central Puget Sound Region; and

WHEREAS, in November 2008, the voters of the three-county Sound Transit district approved Sound Transit 2, a 15-year regional transit system plan for high-capacity transit in the Central Puget Sound Region; and

WHEREAS, on December 18, 2014, through Resolution R2014-31, the Sound Transit Board adopted an updated and modified Regional Transit Long-Range Plan, setting out goals, policies, and strategies to guide the long-term development of the region’s high-capacity transportation system; and

WHEREAS, Sound Transit Resolution R2014-31 also directed Sound Transit staff to develop priorities for the next set of investments to be added to the regional high-capacity transportation system, with a goal to develop the “Sound Transit 3” (ST3) plan to be submitted to the voters; and

WHEREAS, Sound Transit has engaged in a multi-year planning process with the public, other agencies, and communities to identify and evaluate potential projects for inclusion in the ST3 proposal, and to evaluate several revenue and investment scenarios; and

WHEREAS, Sound Transit intends to place an ST3 proposal before the voters of the region in November 2016; and

WHEREAS, a continued regional investment in high-capacity transit, including light rail (Link), commuter rail (Sounder), and express bus service and facilities (ST Express), will provide fast, frequent, reliable connections among the region’s major population and employment centers; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:

Section 1. The City Council and Mayor of Seattle commend Sound Transit for its deliberative and inclusive planning process for Sound Transit 3 (ST3), and recognize the need for new transit investments throughout the Sound Transit region. The City Council and the Mayor encourage Sound Transit to accelerate the project delivery schedule and provide ST3 transit service to voters as quickly as possible. The City Council and Mayor support including the following components in the ST3 package to be submitted to voters.

a.  The ST3 package should construct an infill light rail station at South Graham Street.

b.  The ST3 package should construct an infill light rail station at Northeast 130th Street.

c.  The ST3 package should construct a light rail extension from Downtown Seattle to Ballard that includes a new tunnel through Downtown Seattle to support regional operation of the light rail system, provides a grade-separated alignment to Ballard, and considers a potential Interbay alignment to the west of 15^th Avenue West. The ST3 package should allow for future consideration and evaluation of a potential Ship Canal tunnel crossing, if cost savings within the ST3 program or additional funding resources become available.

d.  The ST3 package should construct a light rail extension from Downtown Seattle to the West Seattle Junction that includes a grade-separated alignment through West Seattle. The ST3 package should allow for future consideration and evaluation of a potential tunnel alignment through West Seattle, if cost savings within the ST3 program or additional funding resources become available.

e.  The ST3 package should include funding for a robust equitable Transit-Oriented Development program to capitalize on ST3 project opportunities.

f.  The ST3 package should include funding for a robust bicycle and pedestrian access program to maximize ridership and interconnectivity of ST3 projects.

g.  The ST3 package should include Madison Street Bus Rapid Transit and enhancements to the RapidRide C and D bus lines as early deliverables to address current and anticipated transit demand in these corridors.

h.  The ST3 package should include funding for planning to extend light rail from the West Seattle Junction to Burien and from Ballard to the University District. The results of these planning studies will enable Sound Transit to update the Long-Range Plan for future investments.

Section 2. The City Council and Mayor acknowledge that the Puget Sound region continues to experience rapid growth and that the region’s transit needs are great. We also acknowledge that Sound Transit has been granted limited options for funding these needs, which will only become more expensive over time. Given these realities, the Council and Mayor endorse Sound Transit’s proposed mix of revenue options while also committing to support the agency in seeking federal grants and other partnerships to fully leverage the investment of local tax dollars. The City Council and Mayor appreciate Sound Transit’s work to review and revise the Financial Policies in a way that responsibly and equitably finances the full suite of ST3 projects while ensuring our regional transit assets will be maintained in a state of good repair. The City Council and Mayor recommend that the ST3 plan continue past practices of allowing for contributions from state and local governments, as well as the private sector, to extend or enhance elements of the System Plan approved by voters.

Section 3. The City of Seattle has a strong history of partnering with Sound Transit to help deliver Sound Move and Sound Transit 2 projects. In order to accelerate the delivery of transit improvements in Seattle, the City is committed to actively collaborating with Sound Transit early in the environmental assessment and design phases of ST3 projects to refine and provide certainty around project scope and cost estimates, and to streamline and expedite the permitting process.

The City pledges to develop an agreement with Sound Transit for delivering ST3 projects that could include establishing an inter-agency team made up of Sound Transit project managers and City department directors or managers; a Mayor-appointed coordinator to manage the City’s efforts across departments while also serving as a single point of contact for Sound Transit project staff; and tools, processes and potential code amendments necessary to streamline permitting and facilitate other regulatory procedures.

Such an agreement will necessarily depend on Sound Transit providing a commensurate level of executive commitment, financial planning and staff resources to effectuate our mutual desire for accelerated project development. The City hopes such an agreement will be in place to immediately begin work, if voters approve the ST3 measure in November.

Section 4. The City of Seattle applauds the work of Sound Transit in its project labor agreements to ensure we have high apprenticeship utilization rates, strong participation by disadvantaged business enterprises and women- and minority-owned businesses, and high usage of well-trained, local unionized labor. We encourage the Sound Transit Board and staff to look at adoption of priority hire practices to ensure that the workers in the region who live in economically distressed areas are benefiting from large construction projects that will come along with ST3 adoption.

Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2016, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2016.

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President ____________ of the City Council

The Mayor concurred the ________ day of _________________________, 2016.

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Edward B. Murray, Mayor

Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2016.

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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk

(Seal)