‘Insane’ for taxpayers to foot bill for King County’s ferry service

The amount of congestion in Seattle is causing at least one King County official to consider expanding passenger-only ferry service. But critics say it’s not worth it.

King County council member Rod Dembowski suggested a study be done on expanding ferry service across Lake Washington to ease congestion.

It would be in addition to the two routes already in place, which the county spends a hefty amount of money on. The director of the King County Water Taxi’s, Paul Brodeur, receives $155,000 a year alone, KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson points out. The service’s four captains each make $75,000, as another example.

Related: Dori says based on traffic alone, mayor has failed Seattle

And how many people use the service each year? The water taxis have about 500,000 “boardings” a year, according to Dembowski. When you break that number down, it’s not something that is having much of an impact on Seattle’s congestion, Dori responded.

“How in God’s name … can we pay out these kinds of salaries to that many people for two boats going back and forth?” Dori asked.

To be fair, the passenger-only ferries are being used pretty efficiently, Dembowski said.

“We’re getting a lot … out of those runs,” he added.

The County Council will receive a final report on the ferry expansion in November. Three routes are being considered: Kirkland and Kenmore to UW and Shilshole Bay Marina to Seattle’s Pier 50. Infrastructure and machinery for those ports would cost about $20 million.

Even if the system is being run efficiently, Dori said it’s “insane” the amount of money taxpayers are spending on the “tiniest” ferry system in the country.

The high costs come with the responsibilities of the jobs, Dembowski said. However, he did admit they are “healthy salaries.”

One thing the county did was consolidate the service into King County government to reduce overhead and lower costs, according to Dembowski.

Still, the numbers don’t make sense, Dori said.

“I’m not saying we should do it,” Dembowski said. However, “I owe it to my constituents [stuck in gridlock] to consider it … We’re going to cost it out and make sure it makes sense.”