Public hearing draws island residents opposed to proposed 2026 ferry fare hike; county cites operating costs, dock grant awarded

Skagit County held a public hearing Oct. 21 on a proposed 2026 ferry-fare schedule and a resolution to convert non-expiring COVID-era punch cards, drawing more than two dozen speakers from the Guemes Island and broader Skagit communities.

Public Works Director Michael See and Ferry Operations Division Manager Rachel Rowe said the proposed 2026 schedule is intended to move the ferry toward the board's fare-box recovery goal established in Resolution 2023-0152, which sets a 65% fare-box recovery requirement by Dec. 31, 2028. Rowe summarized recent history: the county raised fares 14% in August 2023 and 30% in February 2025, and staff proposed an additional 30% adjustment for 2026 with the stated goal of achieving a 55% recovery in 2026 and reaching the 65% target by the end of 2028.

Rowe said operating and maintenance costs have risen sharply, citing pandemic-era cost escalations, deferred maintenance that required costly repower and structural upgrades in 2025 and higher projected expenditures in the 2026 preliminary budget. She also provided a comparative context: "By comparison, a nonpeak adult passenger ticket at Pierce County is $7.75 and $10 at Whatcom County," she said, noting Skagit County's proposed nonpeak and peak adult passenger fares would be $6.75 and $8.50.

Residents who spoke at the hearing raised several recurring concerns: - Missed federal funding and accounting transparency: Multiple speakers asked the county to explain why it did not submit required documents for the federal Ferry Boat Program and said roughly $1.2 million in potential federal funding was left unused. Several urged an independent audit or a detailed internal review. "If you put that money into the fare calculation, our fares would go down," one resident said. - Ticketing system and multi-ride discounts: Several residents criticized the county's Anchor cell-phone-based electronic ticketing system, saying it is costly and unreliable for seniors and those without smartphones. Speakers asked to reinstate in-vehicle credit-card purchases and restore multi-ride discounts for frequent users and seniors; one attendee said seniors faced a 163% increase in the senior/disabled 20-trip car-and-driver fare since 2023. - Affordability and ridership elasticity: Multiple island residents warned that higher fares reduce ridership, depress property values and push residents off-island for shopping and services. "This is a case of fiscal mismanagement," a resident said, calling for more grant-seeking and a transparent breakdown of operations versus capital spending.

Public-works staff also addressed operational constraints. Rowe said service reductions would need to be drastic to materially lower operating costs and that staffing levels are tied to the level of service; she said some previously unfilled essential positions and deferred maintenance made increased maintenance spending unavoidable. She also described the COVID punch-card conversion proposal: holders of non-expiring COVID-era punch cards could convert remaining trips to an equivalent number of electronic trips by appointment at the Anacortes ticket office; conversion would begin only if the board adopts the resolution.

In a late hearing update, Rowe announced Public Works had been awarded approximately $5.8 million of a $7.5 million grant to replace electrical and hydraulic systems at the ferry docks, including apron replacement and bridge coating; she said no local match is required for the awarded portion. Staff said those funds will address long-outstanding dock infrastructure needs and do not immediately change the 2026 fare proposal.

The public comment period closed at the end of the hearing. Rowe and See said staff will brief the commissioners further and that the two resolutions (the 2026 fare schedule and the COVID punch-card conversion) are scheduled for formal consideration and possible adoption on Nov. 10, 2025 at 1 p.m.