Guemes Island Ferry Schedule and Fare Policy Analysis Task Force

Meeting Materials

• Friday, April 18 – 3:00 pm Anacortes Library
• Friday, May 16 – 3:00 pm Location TBD
• Friday, June 20 – 3:00 pm Location TBD
• Friday, July 18 – 3:00 pm Location TBD

• Scope of project and presenting issues
• Issues encompassed and not encompassed and not in the scope
• Skagit County Comprehensive Plan policies regarding the Ferry
• Guemes Island Ferry Capital Facilities Plan: 2001-2015
• Guemes Ferry resolutions

• Management structure
• Role of the crew
• Process for communicating issues
• Ferry policies
• Training issues, requirements, practices
• Staff interaction with customers

• Analysis of survey findings
• Comparison with 2001 GIPOA survey

• Pierce, Whatcom and Wahkiakum County
• Ferry capacity, routes and schedule
• Ferry operations: staffing, maintenance and management
• Ferry community involvement
• Ferry rates, financial policies and performance

• Policies and procedures
• Corrective and preventive maintenance
• Training
• Personnel policies and labor grievance assessment

• Ferry system growth and level of services standards
• Potential for additional runs within current schedule
• Weekday ridership demand – early morning sailings and after 6:00 pm
• Community perspectives: survey findings about schedule extension options
• Ferry crossing time; double and triple runs
• Cost of providing meeting demand beyond regular schedule
• U.S. Coast Guard requirements: the 12 hour rule
• Conclusions and recommendations, consultant perspectives and issues to consider

• Current problems are long-standing
• A paradigm shift is needed
• Ferry system organization and management assessment
• Ferry employee assessment and recommendations
• Role of the Board of Skagit County Commissioners
• Strategic policy and management agenda recommended
• Communication with Ferry customers

• Charter, member elections and meetings
• Ferry Committee perspectives and County management perspectives
• Survey findings regarding Ferry Committee awareness, understanding and representation
• Ferry Committee roles and relationships
• Recommendations

• Make a paradigm shift – from focus on service delivery and vessel operations to thinking about the Ferry operation as a complex system of marine transportation.
• Address long-range planning issues: how Comprehensive Plan and Capital Facilities Plan policies (demand management, parking, level of service standards) will be implemented.

• The Ferry Manager should report to the Public Works Director and the position description should be updated.
• Delegate authority and hold staff accountable.
• Maintain the Ferry Manager as a half-time position.
• Develop a Ferry Management team encompassing planning, operations, finance and communications.
• Provide the Ferry Manager with training in communication and human resource management.
• Provide the crew with human resource-related training as noted in the employee interviews.

• Prepare regular reports on system performance to assess current conditions and future needs.
• Institute a tracking system for following up on issues and communications.
• Require that issues and decisions be put into writing.
• Require monthly crew meetings and communication with the crew.

• Determine the cost of providing current service, and assess if it can be provided more cost-effectively with changes to the schedule.
• Determine the service needed to meet demand, now and in the future.

• Charter the FC and formalize its by-laws and operating principles through a Commission Resolution.
• Incorporate the FC as a legitimate part of the planning and communications process.
• Begin working with the FC immediately on service demand and schedule issues and options.

• Hold initial public meeting to review the findings/recommendations in this report, provide an update on schedule issues, and share information on next steps.
• Plan a series of community meetings to engage in dialogue about growth, service and cost issues.
• Make FC meeting summaries and material available to the Terminals and on the County’s web site.
• Prepare written materials to tell customers what has changed in recent years, what is happening now, and what the outstanding questions are.

• Rework the Crew Memo Book into a policies and procedures manual.
• Prepare a Maintenance Plan.

• Ferry ridership growth in the last decade has exceeded the highest growth forecasts for the year 2005; total ridership has grown by 145% in the last 20 years.
• A method to project expected ridership growth needs to be developed.
• The addition of the 1:30 and 4:30 pm sailings in 1990 limits opportunities to add scheduled service (2:00 and 3:00 pm) unless other schedule patterns are considered.
• There is a real need for detailed documentation of the ferry ridership usage patterns in both directions, including seasonal periods, to determine where system capacity constraints may exist.
• The County’s practice is to provide service, on all scheduled crossings, to those in line at the time scheduled for sailing. This service during some periods results in crew overtime on the last scheduled run on the day (particularly Monday-Thursday).
• This practice provides significant discretion to the Ferry crew, and can result in differential application of the rules, and conflict between employees and customers.
• Overtime is also paid for other types of service, including school and special events and medical runs. The County needs to assess the financial impacts of providing this service, compared with meeting this demand through regularly scheduled service, at straight time costs.
• The County needs to include the results of the sub-area Growth Management Planning process in future ferry service plans.
• The County needs to determine financial impact of providing this on-demand service, and the reasonable alternatives.

Key Questions to Answer (from Management Analysis):

• What is the cost of providing the current level service that the County provides today, including regular and overtime costs, in relation to other possible schedules and modes of operation?.
• How close is the County to reaching capacity with its current ferry schedule?
• How can or should demand be managed to moderate growth and operate within capacity limits?
• What are the options to address current demand, especially in the summer months, and what are the costs and other implications of those options?

1. Assess ridership demand for ferry service, by season and time of day, to determine implications the implications for the ferry schedule, following data collection.
2. Assess expected future demand for ferry service following development of an appropriate growth model.
3. Address level of service standards, impacts and implications for a ferry system.
4. Assess options (including pre-ticketing and others) to increase throughput and enhance schedule efficiency.
5. Assess the costs of providing the current level of service, including regular and overtime costs. Identify and assess alternatives to the current system – taking into consideration cost, operating efficiency, and sub-area planning.
6. Assess the options for and impacts of enhanced walk-on passenger, ferry and parking, facilities on ridership demand.
7. Develop recommended schedule policies.

1. Assess historic and current ridership, revenue and cost data, and the Ferry’s financial performance, including how it has changed over time
2. Review formula and status of performance within Resolution #11939
3. Review and analyze the current fare structure and fare policies

• Examine data by fare category – regular and frequent users, oversize and commercial customers, youth and senior discounts
• Assess impact on ridership growth and revenues
• Particularly assess the frequent user card, its purpose, fee structure, ferry purser enforcements issues and revenue implications.

4. Develop a Ferry financial model and framework that establishes benchmarks for financial sustainability and reporting.
5. Using the financial model, develop and analyze alternative service, fare structure scenarios

• Considers trends in operations funding –state and county subsidy, farebox recovery

6. Consider and assess capital improvement needs and funding issues, especially as it pertains to increased accessibility and capacity for passengers
7. Develop policy recommendations for ferry finances, including reporting indicators and measures.

• Washington State Ferries, Pierce, Whatcom and Wahkiakum Counties
• Comparative rates, cost recovery and other performance measures will be assessed

Analyze and discuss Guemes Island Ferry schedule and fare policy issues and options.

Work as a group to achieve consensus on an optimal set of recommendations to the Board of Skagit County Commissioners.

• Regularly attend Task Force meetings and contribute constructively to Task Force discussion. Consider and discuss issues from a systemwide perspective, as well as that of particular stakeholders.
• Understand and be able to articulate the Task Force’s purpose, responsibilities, and work plan.
• Communicate and coordinate with the member’s constituent group to (a) represent the group’s perspective on key issues; and (b) convey information from the Task Force back to stakeholders.
• Attend community meetings and participate in the Task Force’s community outreach efforts, as draft recommendations are developed.
• Review and provide comments on draft reports and recommended policies.
• Provide feedback to the Task Force chair and project staff on Task Force process and progress.

• Meeting summaries will be prepared following each meeting, summarizing the issues discussed and the decisions reached. A list of members present will be included in the meeting summary. Meeting summaries from the previous meeting will be discussed at the start of the Task Force’s agenda for the following meeting.
• The Task Force will be “principals only” – no alternates please.
• The Task Force will sponsor one or more community meetings to obtain broad public input on proposed recommendations. The public comment will be summarized and presented to the County Commissioners as part of the package of recommendations for Commissioner consideration.