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Clark County’s board of commissioners passed a resolution on Thursday asking its transit agency C-TRAN for two ballot measures, instead of one, to fund new transportation projects.

The county requested that funding for a light-rail project on the planned Columbia River Crossing be broken out in a separate measure from general transportation fund on the November 2011 ballot. The separate measures would provide the county with a clearer picture of where the public stands on the light-rail project, said Scott Patterson, spokesman for C-TRAN.

County commissioners prefer separated measures because of the public opinion that C-TRAN, a bus system, should not venture into high-capacity transit systems like light rail, Patterson said.

“One of the measures would be a tax of two cents on every ten dollars spent, which would go toward bus projects. The other would be a one-cent tax on every ten dollars spent that would go towards operating light rail and a bus rapid transit project on Fourth Plain,” said Patterson. Fourth Plain Road is a major artery in Vancouver, Wash., in Clark County.

The resolution is expected to frame the discussion at C-TRAN’s board of directors meeting on Tuesday, said Patterson. “They will begin the discussion on possible ballot measures and what they could look like,” he said.

“In 1995, a county-wide vote for light rail was voted down,” Patterson said. “At that time, the ballot measure was a much larger ask; it was looking for capital to build the project and operating costs. This measure would be just for the operating cost.”

Funding for the project is expected to come through the Columbia River Crossing project, an Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River which would connect Portland’s Expo Center to Clark College with light rail.