Transportation Lifeline Committee
Subcommittee of the Vashon Maury Island Community Council
Formed to Address Ferry Service Issues

Charter To preserve and improve service to Vashon-Maury Island through
efficient water-to-road transportation.

MINUTES
10:00 AM, Saturday, January 8, 2000 --- Chautauqua Elementary School

Pre-Meeting Discussion Guest, Pare Abbott (Marine Engineers Beneficial
Association), and Willem Maas talked about how the Vashon-Seattle passenger
only ferry could yield up to 90% return in fare box recovery. This estimat=
e
is based on an increase in fare, the State continuing to underwrite the
capital budget and using one of the new larger passenger only ferries (e.g.=
,
the Snohomish). 

Pare commented that Vashon commuters do not want to continue using the
Kalama or the Skagit because their useful life is ended. The Snohomish ca=
n
front-end load, which could expand its use by continuing the current
Southworth-Vashon portion of the commuter trips. Also, legislators would
like to keep the Southworth-Vashon connection because Southworth won't be
included with the Bremerton/Kitsap plans. We need to get one of the new PO
boats and getting one may not be impossible. 

Kitsap Transit Commission will need to increase the county's sales tax in
order to support the PO boats, which may be difficult given the area's
heterogeneous population. (Lots of Kitsap residents don't use or care abou=
t
ferries and won't tax itself for them.) King County is different because
(1) raising fares (given the larger boat) could provide the necessary fare
box return and (2) the population voting to raise the fares on the PO boats
(or "taxing itself") is homogeneous. Nevertheless, avoiding
inter-community bickering is very important. As a matter of fact, the
Transportation Coalition is in favor of keeping the ferry-dependent
communities from fighting among themselves. On the other hand, we need to
be concerned about being co-opted by another group. We can work with Kitsa=
p
County productively by continuing our alliance with Southworth commuters
whose plight probably will not solved by the Kitsap Transit Commission's
plans. 

S Fox commented that we have a big education problem on Vashon. Many voter=
s
on Vashon won't necessarily vote for a fare increase---for a lot of reasons=
.

Introductions and Announcements Willem Maas, Chair, formally convened the
meeting and introduced Pare Abbott. He also thanked Allison Arthur for th=
e
support the Beachcomber has given the TLC. Asking for comments and a
reaction, Willem read a draft paper that will appear on next week's
editorial page. A large number of Islanders believe the State Legislature
will fix the problem and the editorial piece is intended to help Islanders
understand that I-695 is real, that the motor vehicle excise tax won't be
reinstated as a source of revenue and, most importantly, in the absence of
action, the passenger only service will disappear on July 1, 2000. 

R Bordner said the TLC needs to get the attention of Islanders who don't
care and N Lucas said some think the Vashon lawsuit will take care of the
problem. Three ways to address these concerns were suggested: (1) the
Beachcomber editorial piece followed by (2) a direct mailing to every posta=
l
patron on Vashon and (3) booths of tables located at Thriftway, Vashon
Market, Vashon Landing Bldg (old Leighton's Bldg) and Green Door Gallery
(old Wall Flower). 

J Long reminded the group that all legislators in Olympia need to be
contacted by Islanders. Our legislators are convinced but we need to
contact folks from all over the State.

The question was raised about the date of the end of the biennium, which i=
s
July 2001. We need to respond to the questions, "What happens if. . . ." 
For example, the motor vehicle excise tax will not return.. N Lucas
suggested David Vogel be asked to help craft a statement about the
connection (or lack of connection) among the lawsuit over I-695, the state
budget and the immediate WSF plans for cutting service. The discussion
turned to whether or not there is an element of punishment in the WSF
service cuts. 

S Fox offered to lead a group in developing a Q&A document focusing on the
question: "Why Do You Care About This?" The group will meet on Sunday,
January 9th at Sally's house. Working with Sally will be SharonLee
Nicholson, Michelle Morlan and Laura Snyder. The document will be used at
the merchant booths/tables next weekend. Laura Snyder who was not at this
meeting agreed by telephone to arrange for tables and volunteers to hand ou=
t
the materials and to sign folks up for volunteering and for the trip to
Olympia.

Discussion of whether or not to do a mass mailing to Vashon citizens and th=
e
need for a real blitz to generate energy coming up to the end of January. 

Question was raised about the leadership of the two parties in Olympia. W =
M
responded that the Democratic side of the house and senate is more attuned
to our particular predicament. They have already had a Demo caucus meeting
on it. On the other side of the house, Republicans Johnson, Benton and
Rossi need education. There needs to be a quid pro quo. And we will be
having meetings with the legislators who have already put bills forward. 
Two bills have been advanced that address these issues --- and not to our
benefit.

W M went on to suggest that from the Vashon perspective, what appears to be
a productive course for the Legislature to take is to keep the PO boats
going until the end of the biennium (7/2001) by:
1. Coming up with savings in operation of the PO boat of about $200,000 to
$300,000; spreading the pain around among management, union, users;
2. King County voters holding a referendum vote to increase the fares on th=
e
PO boat; and
3. Form a stakeholders group to begin working on a long-term solution. Thi=
s
group should consist not of upper management but of WSF employees in
operations who can ask the difficult questions.

We have recommendations for a short-term solution and we need time to
develop a longer-term plan. W M asked the group formally how it feels abou=
t
this two-step approach, reminding everyone that the big problem may be the
struggle to gain use of one of the new PO boats. The group agreed to W M's
proposal. 

Question was raised about the whole of King County voting versus Vashon
voting --- W M answer --- Legislature can create a special referendum for a
special taxing district. But we still have to do a lot of lobbying. March
or April would be the target date for the vote on the PO boat. 

W M as for the auto ferries --- everyone believes now that they are an
extension of the highways.

C Goodman reported on the meeting he, W M and G P had with Dave Freiboth of
the Inland Boatmen's Union. ---A nice guy who wants to work with us. He i=
s
concerned because his members are in denial about the problem as are the
Islanders. They talked about using part-time employees instead of so much
overtime (example was the Tahlequah ferry). It was encouraging that Dave
was sympathetic and is willing to look at ways to save money, although he
didn't know what form that would take. However, they know they need to com=
e
to the table to help save money in the program. 

Pare Abbott (MEBA) said that there is the ability now to use 4-10 schedules=
;
however, WSF has not approached the unions with the idea yet. In
management's defense, Mr. Abbott said that WSF management is working to put
out fires and working on future plans is not happening right now. He went
on to say that from all the unions' point of view --- it is jobs. He went
on to suggest the possibility of job sharing --- as a tactic to reduce
overtime. 

The discussion turned to Utilization and Cost
B Pinter commented on the new Metro Questionnaire and encouraged everyone t=
o
complete it. For people who have not received a copy, it can be obtained b=
y
calling 684-1162 or by going on-line to Metro at
http://transit.metrokc.gov/bus/bulletins/2001brochure.html Bob also
reported on a letter he received from Dwight Pelz with a position paper on
the distribution of population, employees, wages and tax revenues in King
County, Pierce, Snohomish Counties and "all others" as compared to their
relative power in the legislature. Pelz's position paper can be summarized
by pointing out the successful cooperation (regardless of party affiliation=
)
among those legislators in Eastern Washington. This, despite their
representing a smaller population, lower tax generation and smaller
revenues. Eastern Washington legislators know their political future
depends their working together to "deliver" their constituents' needs. 
[NOTE: a copy of Council Member Pelz's paper can be obtained by e-mail
request to Dwight.pelz@metrokc.gov. The subject of the document is "Why
King County Lacks Power in Olympia" 

B Pinter also reported on a copy of a letter from Paul Green stating "=8Awe
recognize that the cuts cause many problems. The simple truth is that the
State can no longer afford to provide these services=8A." The discussion
turned to ideas on working with WSF management and how members of the syste=
m
can be drawn into a coalition to work on long-term solutions. The primary
focus should to be to build a coalition with labor, users and ferry system
management. W M commented that there is communication with the
Transportation Commission. We want the operating people on the Commission.=

It is very important to work closely with the ferry system to avoid being
blind-sided in the legislature. We need management in the coalition and we
want to work with them.

Nota Lucas reported on her discussions with a Public Relations Consultant
living on Bainbridge who volunteered time to coach Nota on media strategy. 
The objective is to get the media's attention, which is the best way to get
the legislature's attention. The "armada" to Olympia is a great media
opportunity. The consultant recommended having either a preceding media
event or an event following the trip to Olympia. The recommendation was t=
o
stage an event at Colman Dock to maximize exposure to reporters, et al. 
Another strong recommendation was to subscribe to the Business Wire, a feed
service to all media in a selected area. The group agreed that subscribing
to the Business Wire would be a good way of making maximum use of media and
ensuring consistency of the message. Nota and Willem will work on the
media issues. Also, using the advice and plans of this group, Nota agreed
to work with Sally Fox and SharonLee Nicholson and develop an overall
communications plan that will describe and lay out timeframe(s) for:
=85 communications with local and greater Puget Sound media, 
=85 event plans, 
=85 plans for press packets, 
=85 press releases, 
=85 direct Citizen communications, 
=85 the Business Wire

This group will also work with Willem and Gardner to ensure consistency and
appropriate coverage.

Comment -- Event coverage by the media makes having strong attendance
critical. Need to identify a minimum of 275 to 300 people for the trip t=
o
Olympia. It will cost about $10,000 and the group needs to commit to
signing up five or six people to join us.

Question was asked about having a specific date to go to Olympia --- would
be easier to recruit people to go. W M commented that Dow Constantine's
office and Mike Heavey's office will let us know as soon as possible the
most appropriate date for the trip. It probably will be the last week of
January. 

G Perry reported on attending the Tariff Policy that reports to the
Transportation Commission (which is not an arm of WSF). Gardner described
the convoluted nature of the materials that were provided and on which
attendees were asked to make decisions. There were various proposals,
several divided votes taken and clearly people were not happy. The problem
is that the Committee is faced with coming up with ways to replace lost
revenues; however, those "lost revenues" are not solid figures. The
legislature will be identifying the actual numbers during this session. 
Nevertheless, the committee is suggesting a 40-50% fare increase. Of
course, that suggestion is far from the final result=8Bbut we can see the
press saying that WSF fares are going up 40-50%. Our position is that we
shouldn't even be doing this. However, the Committee was determined to get
this information to the Transportation Commission. There is the argument
that the proposed fare structure is not equitable. The real losers are the
San Juan Islands. Ours won't climb quite so fast; Southworth will climb
even more slowly.

R Bordner asked how the work of the Tariff Policy Committee links to the
work of this group. W M responded that they are actually parallel tracks.

G Perry reported on the survey on the P.O. ferries last week. They got
about 525 completed surveys from the four morning runs. Gardner road all
four boats and did some quick tallies. The survey asked if respondents
would continue riding the PO boats if fares increased 25% (almost all
responded yes); if fares increased 50% (about 2/3 said "yes"); if fares
increased 100% (about half the respondents said yes). The only problem wit=
h
the question was that it was asked in a vacuum; that is, it ignored other
changes. Comments in response related to the "human imperative" -- that is,
people MUST ride the boat regardless of the cost. A response focused on th=
e
fairness and equity of the issue --- and another said the real equity issue
is "what is the cost to get to work if the PO boats disappear. --- Another
said the equity issue is taxes versus services received---the bigger
picture=8A=8A=8A=8A response that the "big picture" question becomes one of
sequence: First, we save the boats. Second, we need an equitable solution
--- an equitable, long-term solution.

Comments --- 
=85 Perceived efficiency --- what makes folks so angry. (e.g. the "smart
cards" --- )
=85 Before we get to the fare increase vote, we must educate voters on the
alternative of no boats.
=85 Why are the fare increases necessary?
=85 Good news (W M=8Bwe have a letter of full support from the Vashon Chamber)
=85 Other letters from Islanders who want to help.

Lobbying Efforts
W M has names of Vashon Islanders who are professional lobbyists:
=85 Tom Starrs
=85 Steve Warely
=85 Patty Vanderbrook
=85 Ken Vanderbrook
=85 Ken Johnson (with the Assn of WA Businesses)
=85 Robin Appleford

B Pinter --- we need to know the names of the major employers of Islanders.=

For example, VISIO wants to be a part of our effort. Also, we have
Microsoft, Boeing, Immunex. Also -- the survey included names of employers.=

Someone commented that Aubrey Davis (Chair of Transportation Commission) is
an employer -- "Coastal Environmental Systems."

Need to have the fact sheet information completed no later than Wednesday.

Jerry Long was asked to attend the meeting with Ruth Fisher along with
Gardner and Willem --- emphasis on solutions.

Outcome of discussion summarized as follows:
=85 Trip to Olympia probably last week of January;
=85 Deadline next week's meeting at the absolute latest for finished material=
s
ready to distribute to prepare for the trip to Olympia 
=85 Need Q&A document and fact sheet to energize Islanders---Sally Fox who
will coordinate with Willem and Gardner took up this charge.
=85 Need briefing package for legislators that can be used by professional an=
d
citizen lobbyists in Olympia to energize legislature---Rob Bordner will
coordinate with Willem and Gardner to develop these materials using survey
results, the fact sheets and other information.
=85 Transportation to Olympia to be confirmed during week of January 10th. 
Discussions with Argosy will occur early next week. Also, Pare Abbott
suggested the possibility of renting a Washington State Ferry for the trip.=

Mr. Abbott offered to investigate whether or not it would be possible. 
Patty, WSF employee, offered to work the boat and is developing a list of
other WSF employees and retirees. This list will be useful in preparing fo=
r
the trip and for forming the coalition to work the legislature.
=85 Willem, Gardner and Jerry Long will meet with Ruth Fisher Wednesday,
January 12th. The meeting was arranged by Dow Constantine's office.
Brief discussion of the difficulty in obtaining accurate, consistent set of
facts from WSF. TLC leadership has met with WSF management and has
articulated clearly: "There must be no confusion: We have met with WSF and
we want to work with management to resolve the problems" 

Pare Abbott suggested considering the $15 million in the capital budget tha=
t
was set aside for reautomation --- there is little chance that those funds
will be used for reautomation. 

There has been discussion that the Coast Guard will not extend the
reautomation time. However, Lt. Commander Haas of the Coast Guard indicate=
d
that the WSF has not to date asked for an extension. Lt.Comm Haas indicate=
d
that the Coast Guard would be willing to entertain an extension of the
current waiver.

Discussion of the Transportation Coalition --- group of Cities, Chambers Of
Commerce And County Councils working together to address the transportation
crisis in Puget Sound.

T Roth -- "Would we consider proposing a referendum budget for the voters?" 
It could be a part of a major transportation package to put on the ballot.

W M: The question will be --- getting from here to there. And, as we know=
,
no gas tax can be used for the PO boats. But --- this issue (referendum
budget) should be put on the long-term strategy list --- we can plant the
seed.

The Transportation Coalition that was formed in response to Referendum 49
will be meeting next week and will be working on a long-term strategy.

Comments on the negative referendum and "Can we come up with an
alternative?" Comparison of the effects of the referendum process in a
homogeneous community versus the effects of such a process in a
heterogeneous community --- 

Marching Orders -- 
JUST DO IT --- THIS IS OUR LAST WEEK.
Thursday Pm Group Leads Will Meet At Willem's House (15120 West Side Hwy,
north of little white church at Cove). Will discuss and complete 
=85 Belief Explosion Paper
=85 Fact Sheets
=85 Lobbying Piece

Next Meeting 
Saturday, 1/15/00 --- 10 am, Chautauqua Elementary School

Meeting adjourned at 12:30 pm.

Submitted:


SharonLee Nicholson, Secretary
 Attested:


Willem Maas, Chair


Attendees: Gardner Perry, Par=E9 Abbott (MEBA), Doug Shaw, George Lewsi, Tim
Roth, Jerry Long, Mike Sudduth, Sally Fox, Rick Ault, Kermit Goering,
SharonLee Nicholson, Nota Lucas, Cliff Goodman, Patti Snyder, Julie Selman
(The Ticket), Beth de Groen, Allison Arthur (Beachcomber), Robert Pinter,
Lindsay Hoffman, Michelle Morlan, Anne Woodward, Cara Nelson, Rob Bordner,
Max Perena, John (Pete) Baum, Willem Maas

EXPLODING THE BELIEF --- TRIAL RUN

BELIEF TRUTH
Island dependent communities get a larger than proportionate per capita
share of the State's Highways budgets. 
Vashon Island residents pay very little toward the cost of running the
ferries. 
The passenger only ferry is a bottomless pit 
Vashon residents could go back to the mainland and live there. 
Under I-695, ferries get cut only as much proportionately as other parts of
the State budget 
There is no way that ferries can ever generate enough revenue to equalize
the State contribution to each legislative district. 
All they are doing is buying new boats at a ridiculous cost. 
Ferries are just not a part of the State's responsibility and should be
eliminated. 
Vashon Island is a place for the hippies and playboy rich. 
Vashon does not contribute a cent to the State's highway budget. 
Ferries across the country are not a part of public budgets. 
Ferries across the country don't get subsidies from Federal or State
governments.