San Juan County’s Ferry Advisory Committee Chair, Ed Sutton, sees a bleak future for any progress on the ferry financing issues that have plagued Washington State Ferries for years.
Although the 2007 State Legislature tasked WSF, the Transportation Commission and legislators with formulating a model for long-term ferry financing by the 2009 Legislative session, with the downward trend in the economy, it looks as if a plan for stable funding for the ferry system will be moved to the further down the line in the state budget.
Sutton says, “We all need to participate in helping solve the problem. The solution is so complex, but we can’t continue to do business as usual in difficult times. “
Sutton proposes that the level of service in the San Juan route be trimmed with fewer sailings, in particular the late night sailings, which “chew up expense dollars without adding any revenue.”
“How is it we have better service in January than in May?” Sutton asks. “It doesn’t make sense to do what you’ve always done until someone says ‘Stop!'”
Governor Chris Gregoire’s preliminary budget is scheduled to be published Dec. 18
