WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Lummi Island ferry fares will likely see another hike this year.
The Whatcom County Council voted earlier this week to encourage the county executive to increase ferry fares “immediately.”
Council member Ben Elenbaas acknowledged that the upcoming price hike won’t be popular, but says it has to be done sooner rather than later.
“You don’t have to be an accountant to figure out that we’re going to be digging a hole,” Elenbaas said at Tuesday’s meeting. “And if we dig a hole and don’t address the fares right now, when we do address the fares, not only are we going to have to raise them to just stay even, but we’re going to have to raise them even more to get out of the hole.”
Ferry fares need to cover a certain portion of the ferry’s operational expenses and maintenance.
But public works director Elizabeth Kosa says the ferry system is in crisis, as fares haven’t technically increased since 2012.
They were supposed to rise in June 2024, but the new fares were cancelled after a Lummi Island resident successfully argued that the increase was miscalculated.
The upcoming fare increase isn’t expected to take effect until this summer at the earliest.
