Grant O'Connor, TriMet's manager of service planning and development, told the Washington County Coordinating Committee that TriMet is facing a roughly $300,000,000 budget shortfall and has developed a proposal that would contribute about 6.5% toward a 10% system‑wide service‑reduction target. "We did announce last summer that we are facing a $300,000,000 budget gap," O'Connor said, adding that inflation and higher safety and security spending are key drivers.

The proposal, if adopted, would take effect in August 2026 and focuses on network changes, frequency reductions and elimination of low‑ridership segments. O'Connor said the plan emphasizes reducing duplicate service and protecting high‑frequency evening and weekend service where possible. "This is a proposal, and we're here to have a conversation. This is not baked," he said, asking local leaders for feedback and offering data to inform changes.

Why it matters: TriMet officials said reduced farebox revenue, a payroll‑tax funding model and rising operating costs make cuts necessary unless new revenue is secured. Officials repeatedly framed the package as an effort to strike a balance between fiscal necessity and preserving job access and frequent service.

Elected officials asked detailed questions about local impacts. Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beatty and Tualatin Mayor (first name given in the roll call) pressed TriMet to consider alternatives to proposed cuts on lines that serve job centers and schools, citing the risk that longer trip times on rerouted service could push riders back to cars. Tualatin's mayor said the proposed reroute for Line 96 would add "10 to 15 minutes" to trips into Portland and warned of ridership losses.

Forest Grove Mayor Mary Wenzel pressed TriMet on the relationship between safety spending and ridership, asking whether security investments were producing measurable increases in riders. John Sierra of TriMet responded that emergency‑service calls on the system have fallen and that safety investments have made the system safer, but cautioned that ridership appears more closely tied to returning office commuting patterns than to safety spending alone.

TriMet cited public outreach that drew nearly 5,000 responses and a Title VI review indicating no systemwide disparate impact on low‑income riders or minority communities, while acknowledging the proposal would reduce paratransit (Lift) service in some small areas. The agency said affected riders numbered roughly "75 annual Lift boardings or less" in described zones and described that impact as limited but not insignificant.

Next steps: TriMet staff said they are in a comment period and will hold a board listening session on March 18, followed by a first ordinance reading on March 25 and a second reading on April 22, with the proposed changes scheduled to take effect in August 2026. TriMet invited jurisdictions to submit suggested reconfigurations and asked to meet one‑on‑one with local leaders to refine proposals.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the proposal; members requested follow‑up information including cost allocation for Portland Public Schools service payments and more granular mapping of alternatives for lines 20, 37, 38, 45, 96 and 97.