Without a countywide taxing district, this will help replace the aging Lummi Island ferry
A ride on the Lummi Island ferry will cost $1 more, as the Whatcom County Council unanimously approved a surcharge to pay for replacing the Whatcom Chief, which provides the only access for most visitors and the island’s approximately 900 residents.
Members of the Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee held meetings with residents over the past few years and devised a plan that provides an income stream that would allow the county to apply for grants to replace the nearly 60-year-old vessel.
Whatcom Chief sails daily from Gooseberry Point on the Lummi Reservation to the 9-square-mile island that’s just east of the San Juan archipelago but not part of it.
“It puts the onus on ferry users and not taxpayers,” said Rhayma Blake, chairwoman of Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee.
County Council members approved the surcharge after a public hearing on the measure Tuesday, March 23.
“The Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee heard a pretty clear message from the council that there was not an interest in a countywide taxing district to pay for this,” Donovan said during the meeting.
The new surcharge will raise about $160,000 annually, said Roland Middleton of the Whatcom County Public Works Department.
Round-trip fare is $13 for most cars and trucks and a driver, $7 for pedestrians or car passengers, $7 for bike and rider, and $8 for a motorcycle and rider. Those ages 18 and younger ride free.
The new surcharge won’t be required for those who are eligible for reduced fares, senior/disabled rates, and student multi-ride cards, according to a statement from Public Works.
It will begin this year, but a start date isn’t set.
Built in 1962 in Bellingham, the M/V Whatcom Chief is a 94-foot ferry that can carry 100 passengers and 20 cars on the eight-minute ride across Hale Passage.
Cost to replace the ferry with a new vessel and remodel the ferry docks is currently about $35 million, said Marie Duckworth, spokeswoman for the Whatcom County Public Works Department.
This story was originally published March 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
CORRECTION: More recent costs to replace the ferry were included March 30, 2021.
