Community Transit wants its riders to weigh in on how to spend transit system money in the next six years.

Input is sought on what routes and park-and-rides to add or expand, and on some long-term goals that aren’t funded right now.

The first in a series of public meetings will be Tuesday in Edmonds, with meetings to follow in Lynnwood, Everett, Marysville and Monroe through Jan. 22.

"This will help us set priorities and set budgets for the next six years," agency spokeswoman Kristin Kinnamon said. "We want to make sure our priorities are (the public’s) priorities."

Community Transit’s board will hold a public hearing on its draft Six-Year Transit Development Plan for 2004-2009 in February. It’s scheduled to adopt the plan in March.

Community Transit has a fleet of 308 buses, including 32 that it operates for Sound Transit, and 319 vanpool vehicles. It has local and Seattle commuter routes. It operates on a budget of $73.8 million a year.

Public input on its management plan is key now because the agency is only projected to see its budget increase by 1 percent a year over the next six years, mainly because sales taxes, its main source of revenue, are expected to grow slowly.

Despite the projected budget limitations, the agency will tackle several projects over the next six years, including bringing a park-and-ride to Lake Stevens by the end of the year. That will allow round-trip bus service to Seattle.

"People have been asking for that for a long time," Kinnamon said.

Also, a local bus route will be added on Filbert Road between Lynnwood and Bothell.

In the plan is the dream of bringing "bus rapid transit" to Highway 99, a bus service that comes so frequently that commuters know a bus will arrive in as little as 15 minutes. There is no money to start such service on the popular Highway 99 corridor, but the hope is that could change over the term of the plan.

Reporter Lukas Velush:

425-339-3449 or

lvelush@heraldnet.com.

Community Transit is planning for the future of public transportation in Snohomish County with its draft Six-Year Transit Development Plan for 2004-2009. To learn more about Community Transit’s proposed management plan for the next six years, attend one of the following open house meetings: