King County Councilman Rod Dembowski, chair of the Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee, announced that the committee will host a series of special night meetings to consider the legislation from the county executive to reduce Metro Transit bus service starting in September.

“The County has never seen transit cuts on this scale,” said Dembowski in a statement. “The public deserves an opportunity to learn how they may be personally impacted and to provide input to the council as we implement these reductions.”

Each evening meeting will include an open house staffed by Metro to provide specific details about the changes and answer questions.

The special night meetings for public comment are scheduled for:

· Tuesday, May 13, Union Station, Ruth Fisher Boardroom, 401 South Jackson Street, Seattle

· Thursday, May 15, Bellevue City Hall, City Council Chambers , 450 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue

· Tuesday, May 20, Renton Pavilion Event Center, 233 Burnett Avenue South,  Renton

5:30 p.m. sign in/open house

6:00 p.m. public testimony

Day-after coverage of the night meetings will be available both online and on King County TV, seen on Comcast and Wave Cable Channel 22.

Dow Constantine has sent the council legislation proposing service reductions starting in September, with Metro ultimately eliminating 72 bus routes and reducing or revising another 84 routes over four quarters.

The TrEE committee meetings will be an opportunity for the public to learn more about the implementation plan, speak to Metro staff about the proposed cuts and route changes, and discuss the legislation with committee members before the legislation is sent to the county council for final action in early June.

For more information of the transit service reductions, go to: www.kingcounty.gov/council/issues/TransitCuts