Fast ferry on ballot for Kitsap County voters

BREMERTON, Wash. – A high-speed ferry system is being proposed out of Kitsap County so residents can better access the high paying jobs in Seattle - without dealing with the housing costs.

There's little doubt Washington state ferries offer a gorgeous commute but the daily grind takes its toll.

“I spend four hours a day commuting,” said John Boyle, during a recent crossing from Seattle to Bremerton, “so anything that would take the time off of that would be helpful."

Kitsap County voters now have a chance to launch a walk-on only ferry system that would make the crossing in under half an hour, but at the cost of a sales tax increase.

Proposition 1 calls for a .3 percent sales tax increase that would raise $12 million annually.

It would connect ports in Kingston, Bremerton and Southworth to downtown Seattle. Supporters argue that it would give Kitsap residents easy access to Seattle's booming job market while still allowing them to enjoy more affordable housing options in cities such as Bremerton and Port Orchard.

“The higher paying jobs, all of the technology jobs, are really in seattle,” said Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent. “This is a great way to not have to park, or to drive a car and to get to where you need to for a higher wage."

Lent said sporting events and other big-city amenities would be much easier to take advantage of, and it could encourage more people to move to Kitsap County since housing costs are currently lower than many other areas in the region.

Opposition has also surfaced, with claims that the proposal costs too much and benefits too few.

“They have said this is good for Seattle, this is good for Kitsap. If it's good for Seattle, why isn't Seattle paying for part of it,” asked Robert Parker, who helped write the ballot argument against Prop 1.

Roy Runyon is also opposed to Prop 1, arguing tht it finances a luxury ferry system that will cannibalize the existing one.

“This will compete against the Washington state ferry,” Runyon said. “It will take passengers from the ferry, reduce revenue to the ferry system."

Washington State Ferries has no official position on Prop 1.