An open house will be held at Highline Community College on May 28 to receive public input on options for expanding the mass transit.

The open house will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the college, 2400 S. 240 St. in Des Moines. A presentation will be given at 6:30 p.m.

"With high gas prices and record numbers of commuters riding trains and buses, it's time now to move forward," said Sound Transit board chairman and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. "Sound Transit needs to hear from you to make sure the region enjoys the mass transit system it deserves."

The Sound Transit Board is seeking public review of new options for a future public vote on a package of system expansion options the agency would complete in 12 years. The new options for a smaller package would lower the costs of the Sound Transit 2 package that was part of last year's unsuccessful Proposition 1 measure that outlined a 20-year construction plan. The 12-year options would cost 62 percent to 67 percent less than the total Proposition 1 price tag when factoring in the roads projects that will not be part of a transit-only measure.

Under this more incremental approach, designed to increase accountability, further expansions would go before voters as part of a separate election.

Alternately, the Board could move forward with a larger 20-year package authorized through a single vote. Public input will help shape whether an election occurs in 2008 or 2010.

The new 12-year options would achieve a 55 percent increase in the number of daily riders Sound Transit would serve in 2030. The new options center on a core set of investments funded by a sales tax increase of four-tenths of one percent (0.4 percent). Adding another one-tenth of one percent (for a total of 0.5 percent) would fund additional projects and services. The costs work out to an increase of about $55 (0.4 percent) or $69 (0.5 percent) a year for every adult, or either four or five cents for a $10 purchase.

The 12-year options would include funds for preliminary engineering, environmental review and early property purchase that would contribute to extending light rail to Everett and Tacoma in later phases.

Sound Transit's system of regional express buses, commuter rail and light rail currently carries about 50,000 riders each day, a number that will more than double following the 2009 opening of light rail service between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac International Airport. Construction of that light rail line is moving forward on schedule and is now about 90 percent complete.

Expansion of Link light rail between downtown and the University of Washington is slated to begin this year and be completed in 2016. University Link is projected to nearly triple the regional light rail system's ridership to more than 114,000 a day by 2030.

The Federal Transit Administration has awarded the University Link project its highest rating for proposed transit projects in the nation, and the Bush administration included $100 million for the project in its proposed FY 2009 budget.