Lummi Island's new ferry is close to going out to bid
Pays forDesign and bidding for a new 20-car hybrid ferry, a passenger float and island terminal upgradesCost$300,000 moved from the ferry system's own surcharge fundReplacesThe island's current ferry, through the County's ferry replacement fund
What happened: County Public Works asks the Council to move $300,000 of ferry surcharge money into the Lummi Island ferry replacement fund (AB2026-735). The project is a new 20-car diesel-electric hybrid ferry, plus a passenger-only float and upgrades at the island terminal. Staff say engineering, permits and land work are nearly done, and bids for the boat and the terminal go out in the coming months.
Why it matters: The $300,000 comes from the ferry system's own surcharge fund. The Council created a ferry district in May to fund and run the system, and the project traces to a 2018 Council resolution that set the ferry's level of service. The construction price, which no County document posts yet, arrives with the bids. The state faces the same problem at a larger scale: its first new hybrid ferry isn't due until 2030.
What's next: introduced Oct. 13; public hearing and vote Oct. 27, per the Public Works memo.