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King County Ferry District

Ferry District adopts work plan and funding for Vashon ferry, Water Taxi, and 5 demonstration routes across Lake Washington and Puget Sound

Nearly a century after a “Mosquito Fleet” of small boats linked the communities that ring Lake Washington and Puget Sound, the Board of the King County Ferry District on Nov. 13 adopted a 2008 work plan, budget, and funding for operation of Vashon passenger-only ferry service, year-round operation of the popular Water Taxi, and five demonstration routes crossing those same bodies of water.

The state Legislature in 2003 authorized counties to create local ferry districts whose sole source of revenue is a property tax assessment. Eighteen speakers testified at a public hearing Nov. 8 in favor of the District’s funding plan, proposed by County Executive Ron Sims as a levy of 5.5 cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation per year. The Ferry District Board adopted that plan, which will generate $18.3 million per year to fund:

• Passenger-only ferry service linking downtown Seattle with Vashon Island. Washington State Ferries currently operates the Vashon passenger-only ferry, but the Legislature in 2006 voted to end state funding for passenger-only ferries on June 30, 2007. The Legislature agreed to extend the Vashon service if King County would assume financial responsibility for the Vashon ferry by July 1, 2008, and assume full operation of the route in July 2009.
  
• Year-round operation of the Elliott Bay Water Taxi linking downtown and West Seattle, starting by 2010.
  
• Five future demonstration routes linking Seattle with the local shoreline communities of Kirkland/Eastside, Kenmore/North Lake Washington, Shilshole/North Puget Sound, Renton/South Lake Washington, and Des Moines/South Puget Sound, with funding sufficient to turn successful demonstrations into permanent routes.

All routes will be supported by shuttle services to deliver commuters to docks and connect them with park-and-ride lots and other modes of transportation.

The Metropolitan King County Council created the King County Ferry District on April 30 to expand transportation options for county residents through provision of waterborne transit services. All 9 members of the County Council sit as the Ferry District Board.