Whatcom County Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing Tuesday, June 20, at 6 p.m. on an ordinance amending Whatcom County Code Chapter 10.34 concerning Lummi Island ferry rates. The updates to the code proposed by Whatcom County Public Works incorporate feedback from community members and aim to provide clarification, clear direction, and accurate and transparent calculation methods regarding ferry use and operation.
The revisions outlined in the ordinance include:
- Clarifying language defining user fees, farebox recovery, and capital & operating expenses
- Clarifying the 55% farebox recovery calculation
- Reinforcing that the needs-based discount will always be the most significant discount
- Allowing valid multi-ride punch cards purchased at the previous rate to be used as credit towards buying the newly-adopted fare multi-ride punch card
- Strengthening language that provides for annual reviews and greater transparency for fare adjustments
- Adding language to provide a mechanism to allow additional funding mechanisms approved by the county council.
Read the full ordinance and share your thoughts on the proposed code changes by participating in the June 20 public hearing or submitting your written feedback to councilmembers prior to the meeting at [email protected].
For more information, visit Public Works’ Lummi Island Ferry webpage.