 |
July 10, 2005 Skagit
County Board of Commissioners Dear Commissioners, The proposal to increase ferry fares by Chal Martin on July 6, 2005, deserves careful review by the Board before proceeding with any fare increase at this time. Fare increases alone are a poor substitute for good management and cost containment.Mr. Martin’s presentation shows lack of knowledge regarding the current use, state funding and potential federal funding and should be dismissed until a more carefully researched and crafted proposal is completed. To that end, the Ferry Committee requests that the Board consider the following: We believe that the fare proposal by Public Works would actually see a decrease in revenue because it doubles the fare for the “frequent user” which currently is approximately 75% of all fare revenue. Most residents would not drive their cars but would become “walk-on” passengers instead. The consequences of more cars parked on both sides would have a significant impact. There are other alternatives to increase revenue than to place the burden entirely on the frequent user. All truck fares, except the logging truck, which increased 50 cents, have been reduced and therefore would result in the loss of State funding from the Deficit Reimbursement Fund. We continue to endorse the work of the Fare and Schedule Task Force, which concluded that fares should proportionately reflect the use of deck space. The deterioration of the ramps caused by these vehicles combined with the use of limited deck space warrants an increase in truck fares rather than Mr. Martin’s recommended decrease. The elimination of the Summer Fare Schedule would also result in loss of the Deficit Reimbursement since it also reduces fares. Summer auto traffic actually increases 40% over other months of the year and the surcharge should not only be continued but also increased. All other ferry systems have a summer fare schedule to increase revenue. Summer tourists and guests are not going to be deterred by a surcharge. Although Mr. Martin did not present his actual Fare Recovery Model, it is apparent that he intends to include the recovery of Capital expenditures in his fare proposal. Although Mr. Martin claims that his projected revenue would not exceed operation and maintenance, any model that includes the recovery of capital expenditures would preclude the receipt of Federal funding if it were to become available. (RCW 47.04.140) Because of these “fatal flaws” in Mr. Martin’s proposal, the Ferry Committee would like to recommend that the Board maintain current Resolution 2004054 while a more thorough and complete analysis of the ferry operation is made through the Roundtable. This would allow “Benchmarking” of other ferry systems in the State, their manning and ticketing procedures to identify areas of cost containment as well as locating other funding alternatives. We believe that the Board’s commitment to better management, operation and funding of the Guemes Ferry would best be served if the Roundtable process was to be utilized therefore allowing the Board’s investment in the Task Force Recommendations to pay off. Sincerely, Guemes Island Ferry Committee |
