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Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners’ Seat Allocations to Change
According to state law, every four years a Public Transportation Benefit Area (PTBA) must conduct a review of the composition of its Board of Commissioners, which acts as the organization’s governing body.
On July 22, Pierce Transit convened a meeting of members of the Pierce County Council and elected representatives from each city within the agency’s boundaries to conduct the Board composition review.
Participating communities included members of the Pierce County Council and individuals representing the cities of Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, University Place, Gig Harbor, Fircrest, Fife, Pacific, Edgewood, Tacoma, Milton, Steilacoom and Auburn.
A new state law requires certain PTBA Boards, including Pierce Transit’s, to be selected, to the extent possible, to assure proportional representation based on population of the cities and unincorporated sections of counties located within the PTBA boundaries. According to the law, a single component city may not have a majority on the Board, and a single elected representative from one of the cities within the PTBA may represent multiple cities.
For the past several years, Pierce Transit’s Board of Commissioners’ seats have been allocated as follows:
- City of Tacoma – Two seats
- Pierce County – Two seats
- City of Lakewood – One seat
- City of Puyallup – One seat
- City of University Place – One seat
- Cities of Fife, Milton and Edgewood – One combined seat
- Cities of Steilacoom, Gig Harbor, Fircrest, Ruston, Auburn and Pacific – One combined seat
At the July 22 meeting, the Composition Review Committee reallocated the seats as follows:
- City of Tacoma – Three seats (one added)
- Pierce County – Two seats (no change)
- City of Lakewood – One seat (no change)
- Cities of Puyallup and Edgewood – One combined seat
- Cities of University Place and Fircrest – One combined seat
- Cities of Steilacoom, Gig Harbor, Ruston, Auburn, Pacific, Fife, Milton – One combined seat
The new Board allocation will come before the current Pierce Transit Board at its August 10 meeting, when the Board must amend its bylaws to reflect the new seat allocation selected by the Board Composition Review Committee. Following that meeting, communities that share a seat and those who received additional seat(s) must select their representative to the Pierce Transit Board. The new Board will be seated later this Fall.
