OUTER BANKS, N.C. — The process to establish ferry tolls all on routes in North Carolina continues to be in the spotlight in coastal communities. This week, the Dare County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a joint resolution calling on state leaders to waive ferry fees on personal and commercial vehicles in areas with ferry terminals.
By the start of next year, the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Ferry Division is expected to have a tolling system in place for all ferry routes in the state. That was included in legislation in the state's budget this year. That includes the traditionally free Ocracoke and Knotts Island routes.
Ocracoke Access Alliance Executive Director Justin LeBlanc has been pushing for a delay in implementation of the ferry tolls and for free rides for Ocracoke residents for months.
"We are going to become the only residents of the state of North Carolina that have to pay to get to and from our homes," said LeBlanc.
On Tuesday, the Dare County commissioners passed a resolution to join eight other coastal counties calling on state leaders to waive ferry fees for full-time residents living in areas with ferry terminals. Right now, residents are still expected to pay for an annual commuter pass.
"We're greatly appreciative of Dare and Hyde counties, particularly our home county of Hyde, taking the initiative with these resolutions. I think that sending a signal to Raleigh from our counties about how important this is, is extremely helpful," said LeBlanc.
One part of the resolution says: "The member counties request that any necessary state revenue adjustments focus strictly on non-resident, seasonal tourism traffic rather than penalizing local citizens."
One specific worry LeBlanc shares with News 3 about the incoming tolling plan is the uncertainty of what happens with their current priority pass for Ocracoke residents that allows them to bypass the ferry lines to get home.
"I think for us on Ocracoke, the bigger issue than paying the toll or paying for an annual commuter pass is really this priority pass issue. Life becomes very difficult on Ocracoke if we can't board ferries in an efficient manner, and they are really our connection to the rest of the state. We recognize that it's a privilege to get a priority pass, but it's an important one that we want to continue to have," said LeBlanc.
Dare County Commissioner Chair Bob Woodard's opinion is this entire situation boils down to a funding issue in Raleigh.
"State Legislature has got the funds and they need to properly fund the transportation department. Put the amount of money in there that the ferry division, rest of NCDOT needs," said Woodard at the commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
Right now, it's unclear what the fees will be for free routes and what the increased fees will be for currently tolled routes. From what News 3 has gathered over the past few months, the annual commuter pass is expected to be $150 per car.
Currently, there are community meetings being held about the ferry tolling plan. Those upcoming meetings can be found below:
Sept. 8 – Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, 59200 Museum Drive, Hatteras
Sept. 9 – Ocracoke School, 120 Schoolhouse Road, Ocracoke
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