Charging a toll for Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry under discussion in Raleigh

UPDATE: House committee passes budget proposal
that excludes tolls on Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry

By CONNIE LEINBACH

By CONNIE LEINBACH

By CONNIE LEINBACH

Ocracoke Island won a major political victory Wednesday evening when the full state House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to HB 200 that excludes tolls for the Ocracoke-Hatteras ferry.

Rep. Tim Spear, a Democrat whose district includes Hyde, Dare, Washington, and Chowan counties, introduced the amendment to the budget proposal that will ensure that the ferry across Hatteras Inlet will remain free to residents and visitors.

Tolls on all free ferries had been included in the first version of the budget proposal introduced by the Republican-controlled House.

The next step is for the entire House of Representatives to approve the budget and send it on to the Senate for its approval.  The House will begin its review on Tuesday.

The budget and its amendments will be posted on the legislature’s website: www.ncleg.net.

The official vote count of the full Appropriations Committee was not yet available.

Tom Pahl and Mary Haggerty, both Ocracoke residents and members of a local committee that mobilized local folks and friends afar against tolling, said mustering social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to urge that people send e-mails was the key to the legislators getting the message.

“What a different world we live in than the Ocracoke of old,” said Pahl, adding it was the those things that connect the island to the bigger world that allowed brought them success.

“Instant communications, cell phones, e-mail, websites, and blogs and, especially the social networking media, Facebook and Twitter, have transformed the political process, such that we were able to generate hundreds upon hundreds of contacts with key decision makers, with a tailored message, at key times.  But it is also heartening to know that at the center of that success was our sense of community: We all worked together, as Ocracokers always have.”

He urged islanders and friends to send thank-you letters to Spear and Sen. Stan White, as well as Appropriations Committee members.

According to Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause in North Carolina, “This is a big victory for Ocracoke. The people and friends of Ocracoke have spoken and the lawmakers listened. The power of the people worked. Everyone on Ocracoke is to be commended.”

Phillips, whose company works for campaign finance reform, spoke as a friend of Ocracoke. 

The amendment Spear was successful in including requires the North Carolina Department of Transportation “to provide an untolled ferry route to Ocracoke,” according  to an email sent this morning by Lona Hallisy, Spear’s legislative assistant.

The amendment ensures that the Hatteras Inlet ferry will remain the untolled route by specifying that no tolls can be imposed on routes that are free as of April 1.

As the legislative process moves forward, Phillips noted that the Senate has the opportunity to change the House’s budget proposal before it is sent to Gov. Bev Perdue for her signature.

But he was hopeful that the full House would approve the budget and retain Spear’s amendment.

The full Appropriations Committee is made up of many members of the House.

“Once you get the full Appropriations Committee approving the budget, chances are it will prevail,” he said.

Phillips noted that he had recently spoken to the Transportation Subcommittee chair Phillip Frye about Ocracoke.

“He was literally getting hundreds of e-mails from folks about this,” Phillips said. Frye had noted that he didn’t want harm to come to Ocracoke. “When Spear made the amendment, they were receptive because of the people connecting in Raleigh.”

Two to three weeks ago, there was a much different mindset among the legislators, he said, and that was that all ferries would be tolled.

Now, that has changed and Ocracoke is in a lot better position now than 24 hours ago, he said.

“When the people collectively use their voice, things like this happen,” Phillips continued. “This is what democracy is all about. This is significant.”

He continued that the budget itself is 333 pages and the Ocracoke ferry issue is just a small part of this huge document.

Phillips noted that Ocracoke has a strong ally in Sen. Stan White, a Democrat who represents Hyde and Dare counties, as the budget heads to the Senate.

“He has been behind the scenes working on this,” Phillips said.

Darlene Styron, the Ocracoke-based Hyde County commissioner, was also pleased with the news but said Ocracokers and their friends cannot let up their activity.

“Anything could change,” she said. “We have to stay focused and on top of this and see it all the way through until the budget is passed.”

Meetings will continue to be held on the island to monitor the situation and devise strategy. The next meeting of this group will be at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at the Sweet Tooth shop.

The text of Spear’s amendment moves to amend HB 200, page 331, lines 21-22 by deleting the following:

“All ferry routes shall be tolled in an amount established by the Board of Transportation.”

Substituting for that phrase is:

“The Board of Transportation shall establish tolls for all ferry routes, except that the Board of Transportation shall maintain one untolled ferry route to any barrier island not accessible by a state-maintained road.”

The amendment also inserts:

“In maintaining one untolled ferry route to any barrier island not accessible by a state-maintained road, as required by G.S. 136-82, as amended by this section, the Board of Transportation shall not toll any route to any barrier island not accessible by a state-maintained road that is untolled as of April 1, 2011.”

E-mail addresses, phone numbers, the draft budget and provisions are on the state legislature website: www.ncleg.net.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Related stories on the proposal to add a toll on the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry:

Charging a toll on Ocracoke-Hatteras ferry continues to move forward in Raleigh
Outer Bankers are uniting to oppose tolls on Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry
Charging a toll for Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry under discussion in Raleigh

Charging a toll on Ocracoke-Hatteras ferry continues to move forward in Raleigh
Outer Bankers are uniting to oppose tolls on Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry

Charging a toll for Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry under discussion in Raleigh

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