Snohomish County Community Transit’s newly approved 2016 Budget calls for 24,000 hours of additional service, but those are annualized hours from 2015’s service additions.

The agency’s 2016 Budget, which was approved on Dec. 3 by the Community Transit Board of Directors, was created when the outcome of Proposition 1 was unknown. That measure’s approval, certified last week, will cause the need for a mid-year budget amendment to account for new revenue coming from a 0.3 percent sales tax increase.

Another board action today ensures that the new sales tax will begin to be collected on April 1, 2016. Today, the board approved Resolution 15-15, which authorizes the Washington State Department of Revenue to begin collecting the new sales tax. While tax collections will start on April 1, the agency will not receive the new revenue until June 2016.

“This budget keeps us going next year, without new revenue or new service,” said CEO Emmett Heath about today’s budget approval. “However, we will be receiving new revenue and we will be expanding service. Those increases will be outlined in the amended 2016 Budget.”

Community Transit’s 2016 budget funds the first year of a major upgrade of its wireless radio system, as well as design and a possible start of construction on a Mukilteo Park & Ride on the west side of Paine Field. The agency will also purchase 18 replacement buses, 45 replacement vanpool vans, 20 expansion vanpool vans and 11 replacement DART paratransit vehicles, all of which are largely funded by state and federal grants.

The 2016 Budget can be found online at www.communitytransit.org/budget.

The agency has already announced a modest addition of 15 new bus trips and six expanded bus trips that will take place in March 2016. A larger service increase is planned for September 2016, details of which will be proposed in early spring.