This week’s legislative budget compromise shuffled the source of some of the money that pays for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
But it doesn’t increase — or decrease — the number of routes or sailings.
Ferry spokesman Jeremy Woodrow said the system will stick with its existing summer schedule, as well as a draft version for fall and winter.
“So the marine highway system’s budget, if it were signed today, doesn’t change a whole lot,” Woodrow said. “So the proposed schedule that’s out there for review and comments, that will still move forward as is, as will any other future plans the marine highway system [has] for 2017.”
The funding shuffle uses more money from the state’s general fund, which pays for the majority of the operating budget.
Before the compromise, the ferry budget took more money from another fund. Woodrow said that’s used as a backup in case of emergencies.
“It’s important to have that buffer there for other items that come up throughout the year,” Woodrow said. “When there’s deferred maintenance costs that are unexpected on vessels, it’s good to be able to dip into that system fund.”
Without that money, the system would have to lay up a broken ship or ask lawmakers for additional money.
Ferry officials said the budget, for the fiscal year beginning in July, will result in a 7% reduction in sailings. That’s in addition to cuts the year before.
A public hearing on the fall and winter schedule will be June 22nd.
Ed Schoenfeld is Regional News Director for CoastAlaska, a consortium of public radio stations in Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg and Wrangell.
He primarily covers Southeast Alaska regional topics, including the state ferry system, transboundary mining, the Tongass National Forest and Native corporations and issues.
He has also worked as a manager, editor and reporter for the Juneau Empire newspaper and Juneau public radio station KTOO. He’s also reported for commercial station KINY in Juneau and public stations KPFA in Berkley, WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and WUHY in Philadelphia. He’s lived in Alaska since 1979 and is a contributor to Alaska Public Radio Network newscasts, the Northwest (Public Radio) News Network and National Native News. He is a board member of the Alaska Press Club. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he lives in Douglas.
