Drafter
Clerk 08/13/2026
Title
AN ORDINANCE related to public transportation, to prevent the deletion of Route 372 under the Lynnwood Link Connections public transportation service changes for King County; amending Ordinance 19751, Section 1; and declaring an emergency.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Ordinance 19751 approved the Lynnwood Link Connections public transportation service changes, which included revisions to bus service provided by the Metro transit department in the cities of Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Seattle, and Shoreline.
2. Ordinance 19751 stated that the Lynnwood Link Connections public transportation service changes were consistent with the policy direction and priorities in the King County Metro Strategic Plan for Public Transportation 2021-2031 and the King County Metro Service Guidelines, which were both adopted by Ordinance 19367.
3. Ordinance 19751 authorized the Metro transit department to implement the Lynnwood Link Connections bus service changes incrementally consistent with the 2023 Metro Service Recovery Plan adopted by Ordinance 19581.
4. Ordinance 19751 authorized the deletion of Route 372 as part of the Lynnwood Link Connections public transportation service changes. Ordinance 19751 stated that replacement service for Route 372 after its deletion would be provided by Route 72, Route 77, Route 322, Route 331, and the Sound Transit Stride S3 (522) bus rapid transit line.
5. The Metro transit department has stated that it will delete Route 372, as authorized by Ordinance 19751, as part of the Fall 2026 service change, which will take place beginning August 29, 2026.
6. The Metro transit department made service revisions to Route 322 and Route 331 as part of the Fall 2024 service change and states that it will make additional service revisions to Route 331 as part of the Fall 2026 service change, as authorized by Ordinance 19751. These two routes, as revised, were identified in Ordinance 19751 as providing partial replacement service for Route 372 after its deletion.
7. The Metro transit department has stated that it will start service on two new routes, as authorized by Ordinance 19751, as part of the Fall 2026 service change. These two new routes, Route 72 and Route 77, were identified in Ordinance 19751 as providing partial replacement service for Route 372 after its deletion.
8. The Sound Transit Stride S3 (522) bus rapid transit line, which was identified in Ordinance 19751 as providing partial replacement service for Route 372 after its deletion, is currently under construction and is expected to begin service in 2028.
9. The King County Metro Transit 2025 System Evaluation, which was accepted by Motion 19643, and which evaluated each Metro transit department bus route based on the policy direction and priorities in the King County Metro Strategic Plan for Public Transportation 2021-2031 and the King County Metro Service Guidelines, which were both adopted by Ordinance 19367, identified a service growth need for an additional forty-three thousand one hundred fifty annual service hours for Route 372.
10. Attachment A to this ordinance only makes changes to the references to Route 372 so the route is not deleted.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. The council finds as a fact and declares that an emergency exists and that the enactment of this ordinance as an emergency is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health, or safety or for the support of county government and its existing public institutions.
B. Emergency action is necessary because, in the normal course, Ordinance 19751 would delete Route 372 as part of the Fall 2026 service change, which begins on August 29, 2026. Emergency action is necessary to ensure that this ordinance is effective before the start of the Fall 2026 service change.
C. The council finds that it is not prudent to delete Route 372 as currently authorized by Ordinance 19751, given the magnitude of the service growth need for Route 372 identified in the 2025 King County Metro System Evaluation accepted by Motion 19643, and given that full replacement service for Route 372 will not be in place until the opening of the Sound Transit Stride S3 (522) bus rapid transit line, which is currently expected to occur in 2028.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 19751, Section 1, is hereby amended to read as follows:
The Lynnwood Link Connections service changes for King County, substantially as described in Attachment A to ((Ordinance 19751)) this ordinance, are hereby approved. The Metro transit department may implement the changes beginning with the Fall 2024 service change.
SECTION 3. The county council finds as a fact and declares that an emergency
exists and that this ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health, or safety or for the support of county government and its existing public institutions.