The Skagit County Board of County Commissioners held a public hearing Oct. 21 on a Public Works proposal to raise ferry fares in 2026 and to convert non-expiring COVID-era punch cards to electronic trips. The hearing drew dozens of in-person speakers from the Guemes Island ferry community and dozens more who joined by Zoom.

Public Works director Michael See told the board the fare proposal was prepared under the county's existing revenue-target methodology set in a 2023 resolution that requires a 65% fare-box recovery by Dec. 31, 2028. See and ferry operations manager Rachel Rowe said operating costs have risen sharply since 2015, pandemic-era factors and deferred maintenance raised expenses, and the county absorbed some costs previously in the road fund. Recent fare increases included a 14% increase in August 2023 and a 30% increase in February 2025.

Rowe summarized the 2026 proposal and comparisons with other county-run ferry operators in the state. The county's proposed 2026 nonpeak adult passenger fare would be $6.75 with a peak rate of $8.50; the proposed vehicle-and-driver fares are $21.50 (nonpeak) and $26.50 (peak). Rowe noted Pierce and Whatcom counties charge equal or higher single-trip fares for passengers and vehicles and that other operators have also raised rates.

Public commenters raised multiple substantive concerns:

- Missed federal grant submission: several Guemes Island residents said Public Works missed the national Ferry Boat Program submission deadline, costing the county roughly $1.2 million in external funds. Representatives asked county officials to audit communications and pursue an accounting of the missed funds. Public Works response said contact information changes and turnover led to a missed deadline and the county would not perform an internal audit because of limited resources; commissioners said they would follow up in work sessions.

- Electronic ticketing and loss of multi-ride discounts: residents said the Anchor phone-based ticketing system eliminated many multi-ride discounts and created accessibility problems for seniors and people who lack credit-card-enabled phones. Commenters said multi-ride pricing previously available at lower per-trip rates has been largely removed and that Anchor fees and revenue shares (Public Works cited vendor costs near $93,000 for 2025) reduce net fare revenue available for operations.

- Steep increases for seniors and disabled riders: speakers and the Guemes Island Planning Advisory Committee said the proposed senior/disabled 20-trip car-and-driver pass would rise from $156 in 2023 to $410 peak in 2026 (a ~163% increase over three years for that pass category in testimony). Residents said that increase disproportionately burdens fixed-income riders.

- O&M and budget figures: commenters cited published operating expenditures in the draft materials that rose from about $3.67 million in 2023 to a projected $5.47 million for 2026; a preliminary 2026 budget line listed roughly $6.00 million in O&M in other documents. Speakers argued rising O&M and shifting assumptions move the fare-recovery goal farther away from island riders each year.

Public Works also announced one development during the hearing: the department has received about $5.8 million in grant funding (federal/state grant award) to replace electrical and hydraulic systems at the Guemes terminal; the award may be combined with other county funds to complete a larger $7.5 million replacement effort that includes apron replacement and preservation work on existing structures. Public Works said that award requires no local match.

No decision was made at the hearing. The commissioners closed public testimony and left adoption of a rate schedule and the COVID-era punch-card conversion for a later date; the county scheduled consideration of the proposed resolutions for Nov. 10, 2025, at 1 p.m. Commissioners also scheduled a follow-up work session on Oct. 28 for further discussion. Public comment on the proposal remained open until the end of the hearing.

Why this matters: The ferry is a day-to-day transportation lifeline for Guemes Island residents. Commissioners said they would weigh public input, ferry finances and expected capital needs before acting. Residents pressed the county for greater transparency about outside grants that could lessen fare pressure and for reconsideration of the ticketing system and discount structures.