Washington State Ferries details $1.47 billion biennial budget, adds crew funding and apprenticeship recruiting

Todd Lamphere, WSF's director of finance and administration, described the agency's supplemental budget that goes into effect July 1 and runs through June 30, 2025. Lamphere said the biennial total is about $1,470,000,000, split roughly 48 percent capital and 52 percent operating. He said the operating program largely covers labor, fuel and maintenance, while capital increases support hybrid‑electric vessel construction, conversions of existing jumbo Mark II vessels and terminal charging infrastructure.

Steve Nevi and other leaders highlighted a $10,000,000 budget item to add redundancy on vessel watches by funding an extra deckhand (OS) and an extra engine‑room crew member on each watch; Nevi said the funding will be available in July and that the extra staffing should reduce cancellations when a single person does not show up. Beth Stoll said WSF intends to begin placing an additional OS on each watch starting with the summer schedule (mid‑July) and is roughly 60 percent of the way toward adding additional oilers in engine rooms.

Nicole McIntosh described workforce pipelines that will feed staffing needs: internships and apprenticeships at Eagle Harbor, recruitment partnerships with Seattle Maritime Academy and a scholarship program with the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies. McIntosh said the scholarship application opened June 1 and runs through July 1, with a 12‑person cohort slated to begin the next February. She said combined recruitment and internal promotion programs aim to supply licensed deck officers and engine‑room personnel over time.

Lamphere also noted capital increases for preservation and an additional $20,000,000 for emergency repairs. Officials said the budget increase compared with the previous biennium was about $194,000,000 overall and that some line items had been adjusted during the presentation for clarity.