State Auditor Brian Sonntag has released his I-900 report on the Washington State Ferries system and finds that the WSF is overspending by about $10 million a year (out of a total operating budget of $186 million).
hat tip: The P-I's Strange Bedfellows blog.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at September 04, 2007 05:15 PM | Email ThisAnd I wonder if they've stopped the theft at the till that was going on previously by state workers.
Posted by: Misty on September 4, 2007 06:53 PMWashington State Ferries has cameras on their ticket sellers now in their booths , and when a car is enetering a booth , it triggers a sensor , so no sales can be made with out the WFS knowing about it . In fact they have cameras all over the place now , I believe some are for Homeland Security measures .
I am the token Republican . Please make sure about your facts before just spiting out criticism . Most state agencies deserve criticism , you don't need to offer some that has no basis in fact .
I also hope that some of the items Brian Sonntag points out will get action.
Posted by: gs on September 4, 2007 08:45 PM
Let them pay full price in taxes or private charters if they want to take a "boatride" to work.
Posted by: John Bailo on September 4, 2007 09:29 PMThis report is simply the period on the sentence of big government that is quickly outstripping our ability to pay for it. I'd like to think that it means something but, like usual, some ink will be spilled but, by and large, nothing will happen.
Posted by: G Jiggy on September 4, 2007 09:42 PMBy now the ferry system has become so entrenched with unions, nice-to-have ferry commutes, and subsidized fares, that there's little hope of privatization. A private company just might conclude that some changes should be made, and if those changes were not in the best interest of the workers, there would be blood curdling screams.
Maybe they can use some of the extra $10 Million to keep better tabs on suspicious passengers.
what's the operting budget for current ST (sounder and buses)?
I'd rather piss away $$ on cool ferries than on redundant buses and empty (slow) trains
Posted by: righton on September 5, 2007 03:04 AMAnyone know what they spent all that on? I didn't think so.
ST's spending is pretty mysterious. It would be great to have a list of the 50 or so entities that recieved the most from ST over the past three years, so everyone could see how much those payments were. ST was supposed to be done years ago - a one billion dollar spending budget in 2007 can not be justified in terms of what the voters approved in 1996.
But I guarantee you Sonntag won't look at that. He'll poke around the edges of the ferry system, but he'll stay way away from how ST is supposed to have delivered what the voters were promised for the price they approved.
Posted by: knucklehead on September 5, 2007 09:22 AMSubsidies bad, user pays good.
Privatize the ferry system and reclaim 25% of our gas tax. What's so controversial about running a transportation system efficiently? Shame on OFM.
Posted by: agunn on September 5, 2007 09:25 AM
Jeff ,
Most times I would advocate private system doing it better . The fact is a private system would not take over WSF . Simply put , if you had that much money to invest , why put it into a loosing proposition . Private systems can't make it even when working peak hours only because of fuel prices alone , not to mention maintenace , caost of dock maintenance etc , cost of the new Super ferries are over 100 million .
Blame Unions , well to me that is scapegoating . I see that MY Union sometimes gets so politically leftward in their views I can see the disrespect they earn by the right . Some Unions think Cuba is what America should be , I get the frustration with them . But that does not mean its their fault for WSF woes . It just means politically they are pathetic.
I don't blame my union for WSF woes . Maybe my perspectibe is tilted here , being employed by someone you build a natural loyalty I think . but people were hooked in my the committment this state made to commuters ,people built their lives around cheap commutes compared to
what they should have really cost .
The correct thing would have been to let this region grow naturally , without ferries or just private limited service . The populations would have been drastically different also , would be intereting to specualate say how Kitsap would be . Fewer people
and more jobs in Kitsap is what I would guess?
If you look at their report , fuel is what really sticks out in costs . Not labor . Also in terminals where I work , number of employees working on docks have declined since I was hired in 1993 , management numbers have increased . Taking more people to get the job done of managing less people . I find that ironic that it is never addressed in audits ?
Your right , I think I do get more money then what I should be for the job I do . But it is not to the point of causing the blame to be directed towards Unions . Some of the problems are fuel , and the legislature gets brownie points by bringing goodies to their districts , not by fulfilling their obligation to fund Transportaion needs like WSF . 695 is still blamed by the legislature , yet our state is bring oodles of more money then when 695 was passed . I think 695 will be used to be
blamed for the increase of golbal warming by this state .
I also do the best job I can , and feel very fortunate to have medical benefits and such . But I tell you , I had to be on call for many years , always willing to drop what Iwas doing , at any time of the day or night and go to work . The first 5 or 6 years you are a virtual stand by the phone employee. Then its gets better and you can get a job closer to your home .with a shift . I have never had a shift that have gotten weekends off , and I have worked more Christmas'es n then I have had off . Also , I was working at Bremerton when a homeless person was accidently run over by a Transit Bus driver . The head was basically opened up on the street . His brains spilled on to the pavement . While was putting a blanket of the deceased , the police came and re routed the bus holding areas . I am standing in front of this dead guy and commuters are actually telling what th F---- is wrong with WSF for causing such a ruckus , they had to walk up to the next street to get their bus home . Sometimes you got to look deeper at an issue to
see what is really going on . To me it was a kodak moment , something I could not get out of my head because it was so
traumatic , to the commuters a few feet away , they did not even see the dead guy under the blanket , or the bus driver that looked like he was the one who died . All I could do was put my arm around him . my wife did not even believe me because I use to freak out when the kids were little if they got a cut , heck if they choked on their dinner I had to have CPR . Sorry rambled here .
New employees are quiting quicker then they can be hired . Honest . They get paid 12 bucks an hour or close to that , but their on call status and the fact they have to be part time limits the job to having very dedicated people but yet not being able to sustain a living from their job for at least 4 0r 5 years . So you want someone to dedicate their body to you , but not be able to take care of themselves or family .
Anyway , yeah I have a good job , I get to listen to Brian Suits , sometimes Thor on 820 , Michael Medved , Drudge , Mariner games , stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer . And now I don't have to take a boat to get to the dock I work at , which is good because I don't trust the ferries . ;o}
Posted by: Mick Sheldon on September 5, 2007 09:43 AMUmmm...most major companies in the region do this too. The passes are available for employees of these companies who wish to travel by bus (or subsidized vanpool). Some companies give it out free to employees who ask, others ask for a minimal down payment Either way it's a lot cheaper than driving and sitting in traffic all the time. Try driving from Redmond to Seattle or vice versa on a weekday during MS commute times, it's a nightmare.
I see nothing wrong with encouraging people to ride the bus since they can't exactly build 12 lane highways all over the place as some on here advocate.
I think the philosophy is that ferries here are a critical part of the transportation system, just like highways, which also don't break even. Of course, highways and ferries differ in capital costs, maintenance costs, incentives, externalities like pollution, and politics; I'm not saying the current ferry economics are optimal. But that may help answer your question.
Posted by: Bruce on September 5, 2007 11:39 PMKing County tax payers will take over the Ferry system through the the right to impose a property tax with out a vote.
Posted by: George on September 6, 2007 08:11 AM