EVERETT — Community Transit will officially take over transit operations within the city of Everett beginning early next year, after the transit agency’s board of directors voted unanimously Thursday to finalize a consolidation of Community Transit and Everett Transit.

The vote comes after the Everett City Council approved an interlocal agreement between the two agencies on Wednesday, which will see Everett Transit cease operations on April 1, 2027. Community Transit, the county-wide transit agency, will take over operations on that date and is expected to increase bus service within the city significantly by 2031. On the merger’s effective date, the transit sales tax within Everett will also increase from the current rate of 0.6% to 1.2%, the rate that Community Transit currently collects across Snohomish County.

It marks the end of months of discussion and years of studies into the possible merger of both transit agencies, as the city of Everett was one of few in the state to continue operating a municipal transit agency. Most in Washington are operated on a county-wide level.

“We are two organizations who have been doing amazing work side by side for many, many years now, and now we have the opportunity to join forces and elevate the experience for this county,” said Ric Ilgenfritz, the CEO of Community Transit, during Thursday’s meeting.

Everett Transit had operated as a municipal transit agency within the city limits since 1969.

Under the terms of the interlocal agreement signed Thursday, transit service in Everett will increase 50% by 2031. An on-demand microtransit service, called Zip, will also launch in the city by spring 2028.

As part of the agreement, paratransit service will continue to be provided to all existing Everett paratransit riders as of March 31, 2027, but its eligibility will change going forward.

Everett Transit provides paratransit service to those 65 and older even if they don’t typically qualify for paratransit under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but those who turn 65 after the merger goes into effect will no longer automatically qualify for the service. They would have to qualify under ADA requirements, which mandates that paratransit services must be provided to individuals who can’t use traditional fixed-route buses due to disabilities.

The idea of the merger had split opinions within the community since the city and Community Transit announced in April that talks to bring forward consolidation were resuming after a years-long hiatus. Some touted it as a way to significantly increase transit service within the city of Everett in a short period of time, while also improving connections with nearby cities. The city also warned that Everett Transit may face financial problems in the future and would have to eventually reduce service or raise its own sales tax rate.

“This is a landmark day for the city of Everett and Snohomish County,” said Kirk Hovenkotter , the head of the Transportation Choices Coalition, a transit advocacy nonprofit, during Thursday’s meeting. “This would make a transformational investment in bus service for the people of Everett and make it easier for so many people in this community to live without a car.”

Opponents had argued against the merger because it would significantly increase sales taxes within the city without the opportunity for a public vote. Employees at Everett Transit also had concerns over what their seniority levels would look like after a merger, as the negotiation process to determine that will be up to collective bargaining between multiple unions after existing labor contracts expire at the end of 2027. Union seniority is critically important for bus drivers, as it can determine employees’ choices of routes and days to take time off.

“Our members should not have to sacrifice decades of earned seniority simple because we’re the smaller group,” said Shanine Champman, an Everett Transit bus driver, at Thursday’s meeting. “We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking that our years of service carry the same weight and respect as those of our union brothers and sisters at Community Transit.”

At Thursday’s Community Transit board meeting, Everett City Council member Paula Rhyne called on the board of directors to reject any collective bargaining agreement that “does not fully honor Everett Transit employees’ work history and seniority,” calling it “basic fairness and respect.” She also asked the board to explore ways to review Community Transit’s existing paratransit model to find ways to make improvements.

“We put a lot of trust in you to take care of Everett and take care of our drivers,” Rhyne said.

The chair of Community Transit’s board of directors, Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine, said the board will “be looking very deeply at those contracts” in regards to employee seniority.

“We’re accepting them into our family, we’re going to treat them right, we’re going to make sure that happens,” said David Parshall, a Community Transit board member. “This is a historic moment … People will long remember this day in Snohomish County as a victory for transit.”

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.