Lawmakers seek more ferry funding

OLYMPIA — Lawmakers from towns served by the ferry system want to spend more state money to keep fares down.

Riders already pay more than $11 to bring a car between Bainbridge Island and downtown Seattle, and a fare increase set for May will send the price even higher.

Rep. Sherry Appleton, whose district includes the Kingston and Bainbridge Island terminals, is sponsoring a bill aimed at holding down fare increases by doubling the amount of state gas-tax money that goes to operate the state ferry system.

Fares have swelled by 62 percent in the last five years, and ridership dropped by 10 percent between 1999 and 2005.

Vashon Island resident Marilyn Omey told the House Committee on Transportation last week that people traveling by water deserve the same funding help as drivers on state roads.

"We are part of the highway system, and we are not being treated that way," said Omey, a member of the Vashon Island Ferry Advisory Committee.

Appleton, D-Poulsbo, agreed: "This is a highway that has been neglected."

Currently half a cent of the state per-gallon gasoline tax of 34 cents goes to operate Washington State Ferries. Appleton's House Bill 1134 would double that share, shifting an additional $16 million to ferries in the 2008 fiscal year.

Appleton did not say where that money could be shifted from.

In 1999, voters passed Initiative 695, which repealed the vehicle excise tax in favor of $30 car tabs. The initiative was overturned in the courts, but the Legislature passed the tax cuts into law.

The Washington State Ferries budget had depended on the vehicle excise tax to cover about one-fifth of its costs for running the boats and almost half of its budget for terminals and other infrastructure.

Since then, the state has relied increasingly on riders to pay for ferry service.

In 2001, state lawmakers pushed the ferry system to cover 80 percent of its operating costs with fares. At the time, rider fees funded less than 60 percent.

By 2006, fares accounted for about 74 percent of the system's operating budget. By comparison, bus fares cover 20 to 25 percent of King County Metro's costs.

Appleton says ferry riders have paid their share.

Potholes get filled and broken-down bridges are fixed, she said, and now it is time for the state to spend more on Washington's water highways.

Elliott Wilson: 360-236-8169 or ewilson@seattletimes.com