By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
In a news conference Thursday, Jan. 6, Governor Chris Gregoire said that she has concluded the state government can’t afford to operate the ferry service at the level its users want, so she will ask the legislature to turn the nation’s largest ferry system over to a regional authority made up of all ferry served counties in Western Washington.
According to Gregoire’s plan, the state would continue to fund the system at approximately its current dollar level after the regional authority takes over the system in about two years. Along with the fleet of boats and the terminals, the authority will inherit responsibility for a projected ten-year, $900 million operating and capital deficit.
The Governor blamed the huge deficit on the passage of initiative 695, which repealed the state motor vehicle excise tax in 1999. “Our ferry system would be financially sound today if we had not lost more than $1.2 billion in excise tax revenue over the past ten years.” She added, a three cent per gallon gasoline tax increase could produce the needed revenue, but she does not believe that could get past the legislature.
Gregoire did not say how the regional authority would be governed, but she said it would have taxing authority and be independent of the Department of Transportation. The Governor was clear that she did not want the state to be in the ferry business any longer than necessary.
Immediate reaction by San Juan County Officials was guarded. During a conference call with Washington State Ferries head David Moseley, San Juan County Council Member Howie Rosenfeld, who chairs the County’s Ferry Advisory Committee, expressed concern over the “Balkanization” of the state transportation system, saying that the system can’t function efficiently if it is dealt with piece by piece.
Council Member Lovel Pratt questioned whether San Juan County, with its small population and total dependence on the ferry system, could be adequately represented in a regional authority that will be dominated by King and other populous counties.
Council Chair Richard Fralick said he was concerned that as the state continues to feel financial strains, it might cut back or even phase out the state’s contribution to the ferry system.
San Juan County and the Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) has asked local residents to comment on the Governor’s proposal. Residents can comment and see how others are reacting by going to the FAC web page: https://sanjuanco.com/fac (Click on the “Feedback” Link)
