KINGSTON — In the largest turnout so far during Kitsap Transit’s campaign to increase the county’s sales tax and restart passenger-only ferries, Little City by the Sea residents voiced a myriad of concerns and reactions on whether the plan will succeed.
During the Thursday evening meeting, Kitsap Transit’s service development director John Clauson gave a presentation on the issue and answered questions asked by the 43 people in attendance.
“It didn’t pass last time,” Kingston resident Al Catriz said of the proposed sales tax needed to fund the ferries. “I have a problem with the sales tax, which would bring our tax up to 8.9 percent. I don’t think they’ve taken into account how much that’s going to impact Kitsap families.”
The sales tax, which would increase Kitsap County’s current tax by 3/10ths of a cent, will be voted on by residents on Feb. 6. Several residents, Catriz included, voiced their concern that if the passenger-only ferry hypothetically sinks, they would continue to be taxed.
“I’m not an attorney, so I can’t say for sure, but I think the tax would stop,” Clauson said. “At least, after the debt was satisfied. It may require initiation from the people to stop it, similar to what happened with the monorail in Seattle.”
“Kitsap Transit in 1997 got the tax increase to provide rural service in the county, which they did minimally,” said Kingston resident Annie Humiston. “Then Initiative 695 happened, but it didn’t go away. And we still didn’t get rural service back, if we ever had it.”
Other residents were less skeptical and more excited about what a passenger-only ferry could bring to Kingston, including tourists and an economic boost.
“Kingston needs this infrastructure,” said Kingston resident and landowner Behzad Mostofi. Kingston has been set up with the foundation, but if this plan isn’t voted into effect, it would crumble, he said.
If the sales tax is approved, a ferry would start running in Kingston about six to seven months afterwards with a fare in the $7-$9 range, Clauson said. Bremerton would be the first run to get going, as it’s already set up for passengers. But in terms of facilities and parking, he said Kingston is one of the best areas for the service.
“We will need to change things, but that should not take very much time at all,” Clauson said. “Kingston has the best possible parking for passenger-only ferries, as well as park and rides. Of all the terminals, this one is in the best shape for this service.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time using the park and rides, and they are at capacity now,” Humiston said. Clauson replied he wasn’t aware of that, but Kingston still has more parking than any other ferry terminal in the county.
“This is the first time in my passenger-only ferry career, about 13 years or so, that a plan has come forward that makes sense,” said Kingston resident and Fast Ferries Now supporter Sonny Woodward. “It’s not just Kingston that needs this service, but the rest of the county, too.”
Kitsap Transit reached an agreement with Aqua Express, a private company that had a Kingston-Seattle passenger ferry from Jan. 18, 2005 to Oct. 1, 2005, to acquire the run and assets used by the company, Clauson said.
