About this blog

My name is Bill Hirt and I'm a candidate to be a Representative from the 48th district in the Washington State legislature. My candidacy stems from concern the legislature is not properly overseeing the WSDOT and Sound Transit East Link light rail program. I believe East Link will be a disaster for the entire eastside. ST will spend 5-6 billion on a transportation project that will increase, not decrease cross-lake congestion, violates federal environmental laws, devastates a beautiful part of residential Bellevue, creates havoc in Bellevue's central business district, and does absolutely nothing to alleviate congestion on 1-90 and 405. The only winners with East Link are the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington and their labor unions.

This blog is an attempt to get more public awareness of these concerns. Many of the articles are from 3 years of failed efforts to persuade the Bellevue City Council, King County Council, east side legislators, media, and other organizations to stop this debacle. I have no illusions about being elected. My hope is voters from throughout the east side will read of my candidacy and visit this Web site. If they don't find them persuasive I know at least I tried.

Sunday, December 14, 2025

Why the MADOC Funding ?

The December 11th Sound Transit System Expansion Committee agenda included the following “Business Item” for “Recommendation to the Board”. 

 

Motion No. M2025-62: Authorizing the chief executive officer to execute 22 individual Multiple Award Task Order Contracts for five years, each with two one-year options to extend, ….(22 companies)… to provide Sound Transit with project management/construction management services such that the aggregate total amount of the 22 contracts does not exceed $1,000,000,000 over the potential seven-year period, and that task orders exceeding $10,000,000 or are restricted by Resolution No. R2021-05 are subject to Committee or Board approval.

 

While it’s December 14th, and they still haven’t released the meeting video, they presumably will approve it.  Especially since these presumably are the same contractors included in the System Expansion Monthly Status Report for October

 

▪ Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) — Process and Tools:

• Following the Design MATOC evaluation, 19 firms were recommended for contract awards and subsequently approved by the Board.

The Sound Transit 2026 Proposed Budget and Finacial Plan the board approved had included Appendix C: Departments and Staffing for 2026. It detailed the budget had increased 18.1%, from $960.6M to $1134.7M and the number of positions increased 12.4%, from 1635 to 1838,

The budget also details how Sound Transit’s budget is used to provide the  transit service:

 

Sound Transit delivers transit services through a

combination of strategic partnerships with regional

transportation agencies and direct operations:

• T Line is the only mode operated directly by

• The remaining modes are operated through

agreements with the following partners:

o King County Metro for Link Light Rail.

o King County Metro, Community Transit, and

Pierce Transit for ST Express Bus.

o BNSF Railway for Sounder Commuter Rail.

 

The positions and funds for this transit service are presumably reflected in the Appendix C’s $753 million Service Delivery budget, a 17.5 % ncrease from 2025, and 517 positions and a 15.1% increase from 2025. The  remaining $382 million budget and 1321 positions will presumably be used for system expansion in 2026, something they’ve been doing for many years. 

‘

The question remains, why the need for MATOC’s 22 outside companies and up to $1 billion in funding.

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