Letter: C-TRAN proposes 2045 Light Rail Plan, public input period open thru Mon. Nov. 16

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

Sales tax hikes, property tax hikes, and motor vehicle excise taxes like Sound Transit has levied seem inevitable if the C-TRAN 2045 Plan is adopted. Washington Policy Center reports, “The average household in the Sound Transit district now pays over $1,700 per year to Sound Transit in sales tax, motor vehicle excise tax and property tax. Despite that high level of subsidy, Sound Transit’s light rail lines carry less than 1% of all the trips residents take around the region each day, and total transit ridership in the region is lower now than it was ten years ago”.

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Camas

The C-TRAN 2045 Plan raises C-TRAN’s sales tax from 0.7% up to 0.9% in 2030, and up again to 1.1% in 2040.

In 2025, C-TRAN collected $86.8 million in sales tax from residents, businesses, and visitors. The 2045 Plan includes:

• Bus-only traffic lanes for VINE Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) like on 4th Plain, are planned for Highway 99, Mill Plain, and 162nd Ave. This reduces lanes for regular traffic, greatly increasing congestion.
• Replacement of VINE BRT lines with a rail system throughout Vancouver. The Vancouver Urban Growth Boundary that includes large portions of unincorporated county area is included in the light rail expansion.

Transit Oriented Development is an expansion of C-TRAN activities. Fisher’s Landing Transit Center is C-TRAN’s first TOD project. 99th Street Transit Center and Salmon Creek Transit Center would also be developed (pages 60-61). At the Nov. 10 C-TRAN Board meeting, Vancouver members urged planners to add new land acquisitions for TOD development into the Plan as well.

At the June 23rd, 2026 CTRAN Board workshop, Vancouver City Councilor Erik Paulsen explained, “You could replace the Green and Red (BRT) Vines with a tram (or trolley) that just circulated in a circle. All the (Vine) stops that have been built have the floor height to be able to support the tram. All you would have to do is lay the rail,” he said. Transit oriented development is a huge opportunity. Paulsen said that traditional bus lines do not move the needle in that development. BRT is better, but not ideal. Fixed rail, he said, is what really kickstarts development because developers know that a fixed line cannot be moved.

Vancouver Mayor McEnerny-Ogle then recommended that Vancouver put forward a plan for LRT (light rail transit) within Vancouver city limits, and the Vancouver Urban Growth Area for the CTRAN 2045 Plan.

Both light rail and Bus Rapid Transit are called “High-Capacity Transit” (HCT) in the C-TRAN 2045 Plan.

C-TRAN funding for the enormous 2045 Light Rail & TOD expansion is outlined on pages 70-72 and can include:

• Higher sales tax, a new HCT sales tax, various bond options that could increase property taxes without a vote of the public, motor vehicle excise tax, plus other taxes, and new taxes or fees passed in Olympia.

In 2012, Clark County voters rejected the C-TRAN ballot proposition to implement an HCT Tax to extend Oregon Max light rail over the I-5 Bridge into Vancouver. In 2013, the Clark County Council placed a measure on the ballot to oppose any light rail project in Clark County unless it is first supported by a majority of voters in a county-wide vote of the people, and 68% of voters approved the measure.

That 2013 vote is reflected in a 2022 Clark County Resolution to oppose every light rail project in Clark County unless first approved by voters in a county-wide vote. The resolution is posted at the county website today, yet is ignored by a Clark County Council majority, who seek to substitute a C-TRAN Board vote on the 2045 Light Rail Plan in place of a county-wide vote of the people. All residents and businesses pay the sales tax whenever they shop in the C-TRAN boundary where most retail and businesses are located by zoning.

In July, Rep. John Ley reported on C-TRAN Strong Finances in 2025:

• $201 million reserve funds in cash & equivalents, and $8.6 million interest on investments. There is no pressing need for sales tax increases.
• Since 2023, salaries and wages have exploded over 55% from $30 million up to $46.7 million.
• Passenger Boardings of 4.9 million are well below a 1999 peak of 7.75 million Boardings 26 years ago.

Public Input on the C-TRAN 2045 Plan is open thru Mon., Nov. 16.

See full C-TRAN 2045 Public Review Draft and submit input online https://c-tran.com/give-feedback

Until the Dec. 8 C-TRAN Board meeting on the C-TRAN 2045 Light Rail Plan, I urge residents and businesses to:

• Contact Clark County Councilors, with C-TRAN 2045 Plan in Subject Line
• Contact your nearby City Council with C-TRAN 2045 Plan in the Subject Line
• Contact C-TRAN Clerk of the Board [email protected] via email with C-TRAN 2045 Plan in subject line by noon on Tues., Dec. 8 when the C-TRAN Board is slated to vote on the 2045 Light Rail and TOD Plan.

Douglas Tweet
Camas