Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ferry District topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Point Roberts discusses county ferry-district proposal and high costs of water-taxi service
Summary
A public commenter summarized a county proposal to fund the Lummi Island ferry by a special tax district; committee members said Point Roberts likely would not be included under criteria because it is not an island and discussed whether freed-up road-tax funds could benefit the peninsula.
During public comment, a participant summarized a Whatcom Watch article and county action proposing a ferry-district tax to support the Lummi Island ferry and urged advocacy to ensure the fund could support a foot ferry or marine taxi. Committee members said Point Roberts is unlikely to be included because it has access to the mainland (via Canada) and thus does not meet the county's island criteria; they also discussed the possibility of recovering road-tax funds freed by the district for local use.
A separate online participant (speaker 11) reported two water-taxi services would come to Point Roberts but at a prohibitive cost; he said a single run can cost roughly $850 and that the passenger-ferry experience he remembered had very low ridership and high per-trip costs. Committee members concluded that instituting ferry service or local docks would be costly and complex, and noted alternatives such as targeted road-tax reallocations might be more realistic.
