Currituck County commissioners adopt resolution opposing cuts to Knotts Island ferry routes

The Currituck County Board of Commissioners on a voice vote adopted a resolution opposing the elimination or reduction of Knotts Island ferry routes, saying proposed cuts would unduly affect island residents and school transportation.

The board’s chair told the meeting that the NCDOT Ferry Division has notified counties of plans to cut routes, and questioned the agency’s rationale because, the chair said, the General Assembly had not left the ferry program without funds. “There is no reason or excuse for cutting any ferry routes,” the chair said, adding that the county suspects the reductions are a pretext to force counties to accept tolls on ferries.

Commissioners described local impacts if service is reduced by roughly 60 percent to only a morning run and an afternoon trip for school buses. They said island residents depend on the ferry to reach the courthouse, handle vehicle registrations and conduct other routine business, and that alternate roads are poor and longer. One commissioner recalled a previous instance in which county officials insisted NCDOT return a ferry so department staff would experience the extended drive-around route.

Before adopting the resolution, commissioners asked staff to invite the NCDOT Ferry Division to present at a regularly scheduled, recorded Board of Commissioners meeting so residents can attend and ask questions. The board asked that presentation to be scheduled during a regular meeting rather than a work session so it is part of the public record.

The motion to adopt the resolution was made and seconded during the meeting and carried by voice vote; specific vote tallies were not stated on the record.