Submitted by San Juan County
San Juan County remains committed to working with state officials to improve Washington State Ferry (WSF) service in the San Juan Islands. This summer, the County gathered survey data from partner organizations and internal departments, along with anecdotes from employees, residents, business owners, and visitors that have shaped a funding request to the Washington State Governor’s Office for ‘executive relief’ from ferry service disruptions.
“We were thrilled by WSF’s response to supporting the interisland ferry route during the week of our County Fair,” said Council Chair Jane Fuller. On Thursday August 8, WSF committed additional crews and developed a contingency plan to keep the Tillikum running from August 14-18.
“We also want to make sure that our community knows we’re paying attention and not giving up. We have faith in our state government and are continuing to do our due diligence in collecting the data and evidence we need to tell our story,” said Chair Fuller.
Several key pieces of local data helped inform an ask to the governor’s office, including:
An internal County Government ferry impacts review regarding effects ferry service disruptions have upon the delivery of essential public services
Statistics from the Community Water Taxi Survey – both the 2024 survey and their year-to-date ridership data
Survey results from Transition Lopez that explore the establishment of a fossil-free local shuttle service on Lopez Island.
Ferry Service Disruption Infographic 1Ferry Service Disruption Infographic 2This data reveals that island residents, businesses, and the County’s ability to provide essential public services are suffering from increasing disruptions to ferry service.
While the Governor’s Office considers the County’s requests, the state has several short-term and long-term initiatives in the works to support ferry service in the San Juans, including:
WSF prioritized the San Juans for full-service restoration with 4/15 vessels assigned to those routes.
The legislature provided $100k to WSF to reimburse walk-on passengers that are stranded when the last sailing of the day is cancelled. WSF is developing the implementation policy now and the program should be available within the next month.
WSF is working on updating the ferry schedule for the Anacortes / San Juans route. This should significantly help on-time performance and minimize “reset cancellations.” The online public open house is open through August 23rd and the new schedule will go into effect in January 2025.
WSF has started the procurement process to update the reservation system. The RFP was issued in early August with the goal of completing the project by the end of 2025.
WSF is prioritizing employee retention in the following ways:
WSF is offering incentives for employees who accept relief requests for the interisland route. This is the only route in the entire system with this incentive.
Contract negotiations are underway between the Office of Financial Management and the unions. Negotiations should be completed in the fall of 2024.
The County acknowledges that while these initiatives don’t provide immediate relief to the struggles many islanders and visitors are facing today, these steps show the state is willing to listen and work with our County. The Council is grateful for the state’s continued attention and remains hopeful for additional financial support.
The County will release more information on the executive relief funding request after further conversations with the Governor’s Office. Updates will be provided as they become available.
You can learn more about the County’s ferry advocacy efforts on the Engage page: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-ferry-information
