Everett, Community Transit to host open house regarding merger
Published 3:45 pm Wednesday, August 12, 2026
EVERETT — The city of Everett and Community Transit will come together to host an open house next week to gather feedback on a possible merger of their two transit networks.
The open house is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Walter E. Hall Golf Course Banquet Room, located at 1226 Casino Road in Everett, the city and transit agency announced in a joint statement Wednesday.
The idea of merging Everett Transit and Community Transit has been the subject of much planning — and debate — for a while, but the work on a merger was paused because other short-term projects were more pressing at both agencies, they wrote in a 2024 document. Talks to possibly consolidate the two agencies restarted earlier this year and are moving at a fast pace.
If a merger goes through, Community Transit would replace Everett Transit, offering a significant increase in bus service at the cost of a significant rise in sales taxes. The consolidation would mean Everett residents would pay Community Transit’s 1.2% sales tax rate, as opposed to the 0.6% they currently pay for Everett Transit services.
Proponents say the move would add operational efficiencies, like reducing the need for transfers when buses enter or leave the city of Everett. The added funding would also allow for more bus service. Previous plans from 2023 show that Everett could see more frequency along all of its existing bus routes, while five potential new routes could be added on top of that. Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said that would be particularly important as population in the city continues to grow and light rail is expected to arrive in the late 2030s.
Wages and benefits for Everett Transit’s employees would be protected under any agreement, both the city and transit agency said.
Opponents, including the Everett Transit driver’s union, worry that the tax increase would be burdensome and unnecessary, as well as the fact that the merger would mean a loss of local control of a transit service that is already effective and efficient.
Users of the city’s paratransit system also have worries over a possible drop in service availability or quality due to the potential merger, though both the city and Community Transit committed to maintaining Everett paratransit in whole as it exists today if the deal goes through.
The decision to go through with the merger will be up to the City Council and Community Transit’s board of directors. It used to require a vote of the people — a 2025 state law changed that, allowing public transit benefit areas like Community Transit to annex city agencies via votes of their governing bodies.
A draft of the potential interlocal agreement is expected to be released to the public in September, city staffer Jennifer Gregerson said at an Aug. 5 council meeting. The council could decide on whether to go forward with annexation as early as October. If the annexation goes through, an integrated bus network could begin phased implementation as soon as March 2028, Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz said at the meeting. It would take as long as four years to be fully put into place, according to a city website.
An online survey is also available for community members to provide feedback on the potential merger: bit.ly/etctsurvey.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
