Council sets May 13 public hearing for three Transportation Benefit District ordinances

Snohomish County Council on April 22 set a public hearing for May 13, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. to consider three related ordinances that would allow the county to assume the rights, powers, immunities, functions and obligations of the Snohomish County Transportation Benefit District.

Deb Bell, council staff, told the council the three draft ordinances—26-009, 26-010 and 26-011—were briefed to the Public Infrastructure and Conservation Committee on March 17, continued on April 21, and brought to the general legislative session for the limited action of scheduling a hearing. "The requested action is to set time and date for public hearing for ordinance 26-009, 26-010, and 26-011, with the suggested date of May 13 at the hour of 10:30AM," Bell said.

A council member moved to set the hearing date for all three ordinances under a single motion. After a brief clarification of the date (the mover misspoke and the date was corrected to May 13), the motion was seconded and passed unanimously, 5–0.

What the ordinances would do: the documents read into the record describe a notice of intent concerning the county's assumption of the rights and obligations of the Transportation Benefit District; the council's action on April 22 was procedural only (to schedule the public hearing), not a final decision on assumption. The council did not adopt the ordinances on April 22 and no final policy change occurred at the meeting.

The hearing on May 13 will be the formal public forum for testimony and any further council action on the ordinances. Council staff said the three ordinances were reviewed at previous committee meetings; those briefings remain the primary record of prior discussion. The council recessed following the meeting with no other public hearings scheduled that day.