By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
At its regular Tuesday Meeting on Feb. 3, the San Juan County Council urged County residents to add their names to an on-line petition addressed to Governor Christine Gregoire and the Washington State Legislature.
The petition urges them to “face this issue head-on and restore the system to effectively meet the needs of its customers and Washington State.”
It endorses several specific steps including:
- Dispense with further cuts in service and take actions to restore the system so it can efficiently meet the needs of its customers.
- Reaffirm that the WSF is part of Washington’s highway system, that it is as important as all other major highways across the state and recognize the fiscal, legal and other obligations to the taxpayers and customers associated with that relationship.
- Revise the “Made in Washington” requirement to allow WSF and Washington State to qualify for federal funding for the construction of ferries.
- Provide a permanent source of equitable statewide funding to ensure the system.
- Develop a sustainable, long term budget for the ferry system based on equitable statewide funding that caps fares at reasonable rates. . .
The petition can be Found at: https://www.petitiononline.com/plancfcp/petition.html.
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