We may have dodged the bullet that aimed to place a toll on the free Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry.
Democratic Rep. Tim Spear managed to get an amendment passed to the proposed Republican budget that would have added a toll for residents and visitors to travel to and from Ocracoke — $10 was the cost being tossed around.
The amendment was passed by the state House Appropriations committee Wednesday night, and now goes to the full House for its approval. Assuming the amendment survives a vote in the House, it goes to the Republican-controlled Senate for its approval.
So, it?s not a done deal yet, and residents and visitors who have been slamming Raleigh lawmakers with phone calls and e-mail need to keep the pressure on.
It?s only fair that the only free ferry in the state should stay free for the safety of visitors and residents and for the islands economy.
If they don?t own a boat or a plane, residents have no other way to get on and off the island for shopping, medical appointments, and the like. How would you like to pay $20 for a trip to Food Lion or your doctor?s office?
And the economy of Ocracoke Island depends on that free ferry ride, which is wildly popular with tourists from all up and down the beaches who love the day trip via boat to the picturesque island.
Other businesses on Hatteras also profit from all those day trippers coming down from the northern beaches and stopping along the way.
And what about delivery trucks? The companies that deliver gas and groceries and other supplies to the island would presumably have to pay also ? raising the prices for businesses and consumers.
It?s just a bad idea all around.
However, the ever resourceful Republicans have another plan for raising money for the Department of Transportation, including the ferry division ? without raising taxes, of course.
My colleague Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy of The Coastland Times noted that tucked away in that same Republican budget is a directive to the DOT to ?study sponsorship opportunities that might be available to the Department to offset the operational costs of the Department, including but not limited to sponsorships of welcome centers, visitor centers, rest areas, ferry welcome centers, ferries and Incident Management Assistance Patrols.?
The study report would be due March 1, 2012 to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. The following is to be included in the report, according to House Bill 200:
(1) The current cost of the suggested activities to be sponsored.
(2) The potential receipts that could reasonably be collected through sponsorships.
(3) Suggested guidelines and process for selecting reputable sponsors.
(4) What sponsorships might look like once implemented, including mock-ups of potential sponsors’ signage on materials, buildings, vehicles, vessels, or other locations.
(5) What statutory or regulatory changes may be necessary to effect the Department’s proposed sponsorship changes.
Now, the way I read this, you or your company could ?sponsor? a ferry and get your name on it ? for the right price, of course.
Sounds to me like capitalism at its very best and most innovative.
There are all sorts of possibilities here.
I can think of no better advertisement for this newspaper than a ferry plying the Hatteras Inlet waters with the name www.islandfreepress.org plastered on it.
I?m sure NASCAR and a bunch of North Carolina companies would also jump on a deal like this. How about a ferry named for the North Carolina-based Food Lion?
Maybe the Southern Environmental Law Center would sponsor a vessel ? the Derb Carter.
Defenders of Wildlife might be interested in sponsoring also. And what better for the Aububon Society than naming a vessel, The Piping Plover?
Maybe all those environmental groups could pool their money to name a vessel for his honor, U.S. District Court Judge Terrence W. Boyle.
Yes, I like this. A much better way to raise revenue than charging a toll on the only free route to Ocracoke.
If you have any naming ideas to help out the DOT, send them along. Just remember the sponsors must be reputable and that this is a family newspaper.
