Whatcom County property owners will have a chance to weigh in on a new tax that will fund the Lummi Island ferry when the Whatcom County Council holds a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, at 311 Grand Avenue in Bellingham. The council is considering three different levy rates for the new Whatcom County Ferry District, and a vote on which rate to adopt could come at the same meeting following public comment.
The Three Options on the Table
The council is evaluating levy rates of 6.3, 8, or 8.7 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value. For the owner of a $600,000 home in an unincorporated part of the county, the three options would translate to an additional $38, $48, or $52 per year in property taxes, respectively. The initial ferry district budget would range from $4.2 million to $5.7 million depending on which rate is selected.
Council member Jon Scanlon, who has been a consistent advocate for the ferry district structure, told My Bellingham Now that the choice of rate has significant long-term consequences for the county road fund. If the lowest 6.3-cent rate is chosen, the county would need to draw from its road fund to support ferry operations within approximately two years. The middle rate of 8 cents would push that timeline out to roughly 10 years. The highest rate of 8.7 cents would sustain the ferry district for about 19 years before road fund support would be needed, which Scanlon noted would be enough time to cover the final debt payment on a new ferry boat.
"Right now, 45% of ferry operating costs come out of the county road fund," Scanlon said earlier this year. "That's the fund that unincorporated properties pay via property tax in Whatcom County, only in the unincorporated areas, to maintain the county road system." The ferry district structure is intended to create a dedicated funding stream for the Lummi Island ferry that no longer competes directly with road maintenance dollars.
Background on the Ferry District
The Whatcom County Council approved the creation of the new ferry district in May, establishing a formal funding mechanism for the Lummi Island ferry service. Lummi Island is a small island community of several hundred permanent residents west of Ferndale, accessible only by the Whatcom Chief, the county-operated ferry that crosses Hale Passage between Gooseberry Point on the Lummi Peninsula and the island's dock.
The Whatcom Chief is aging, and the county has been grappling with the long-term cost of maintaining and eventually replacing the vessel. The ferry is not simply a convenience for island residents; it is their only practical link to the mainland for medical appointments, school, shopping, employment, and emergency services. Any sustained disruption to ferry service creates immediate and serious hardships for the island community.
The ferry district model mirrors approaches used in other parts of Washington State, where dedicated taxing districts provide more predictable and transparent funding for ferry services than relying on general fund contributions that compete with other county priorities. Island County, Skagit County, and Pierce County all operate county ferry services with dedicated district or levy funding structures.
How to Participate
The July 28 hearing will be held at 311 Grand Avenue in Bellingham at 6 p.m. and is accessible online via Zoom for those who prefer to participate remotely. Anyone wishing to speak over Zoom must register by 4 p.m. on Tuesday at the county's online registration portal. In-person speakers can sign up on a sheet available before the meeting begins.
This is a meaningful opportunity for unincorporated Whatcom County residents to have direct input on a property tax that will affect their annual bills. Lummi Island residents are the most directly affected but are a small slice of the broader county taxpayer base that will fund the district. Residents across unincorporated Whatcom County have reason to weigh in on which levy rate best balances ferry sustainability with road fund protection.
Council member Scanlon expects the council to hold a vote on the levy rate at the meeting following the public comment period, meaning the July 28 session could resolve both the public hearing and the rate-setting decision in the same evening. The county's budget process requires the initial district budget to be established before the end of the year.
More information about the ferry district formation and the levy hearing is available through the Whatcom County government website. For earlier context on the ferry district's creation and the funding structure debates, see prior coverage of what the ferry district could cost taxpayers. The Lummi Island Ferry schedule and service updates are also posted at the county's Public Works transportation page.
