Tisbury officials may soon be joining Oak Bluffs in calling for an increase to fees imposed on ferry lines.
The Tisbury Select Board on Tuesday expressed interest in sending a letter to state legislators in a call to raise the embarkation fee, which is paid by ferry services that depart with passengers from the town. The current charge is 50 cents per passenger, which is built into Steamship Authority tickets, and there is currently a bill in the state legislature requesting a doubling of that rate.
Tisbury’s discussion followed Oak Bluffs’ letter to state legislators sent on August 28. Oak Bluffs officials have called for a quadrupling of embarkation fees, saying their community is burdened by the expenses needed at the seasonal terminal, such as police details, and the summer surge of visitors over the years that’s stressed town resources. Oak Bluffs’ letter also notes that a high number of trips diverted to Vineyard Haven means they don’t receive as much of the benefits of embarkation fees. The letter also asks for the implementation of an annual adjustment based on the local consumer price index to keep up with inflation and protect revenue.
Tisbury officials wanted to write a letter that pertained to their own town’s circumstances with the ferry; the select board is considering submitting a letter in conjunction with the finance and advisory committee, which is scheduled to meet on Wednesday evening.
Connie Alexander, Tisbury select board member, said she was also in favor of raising embarkation fees but called for ways to protect the town’s revenue like Oak Bluffs did. Roy Cutrer, the Tisbury Select Board chair, was more forceful in his words.
Cutrer said that roughly 90 percent of the freight traffic and general vehicles that come to the Island come through Tisbury. He said Oak Bluffs’ letter “downplays our role,” particularly the traffic management provided by the Tisbury Police Department.
“We do our job every day,” Cutrer said.
He also noted the town does not get embarkation fee revenue from freight or passenger vehicles carried by the SSA.
“That’s why this has to change,” Cutrer said. “The two dollars, in my opinion, is miniscule to what we deserve for carrying the baggage for the entire Island year-round.”
Tisbury officials plan to return to the matter at the next select board meeting.
“As the only year-round entry port to the Island, Tisbury does receive a greater impact on our roadways,” Joe LaCivita, Tisbury town administrator, previously said in an email to The Times.
Embarkation fees, passed in 2003 and overseen by the state Department of Revenue, allow communities in Dukes, Nantucket, Barnstable, and Bristol counties to charge the fee on all ferry trips that depart from municipalities in these areas, excluding boat services that are licensed to carry only up to 100 passengers. These municipalities include all of the places with Steamship Authority facilities: Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, Falmouth, Barnstable, Nantucket, New Bedford, and Fairhaven. The fees are used to mitigate the impact of ferry services in town, which can include paying police at the terminals to road maintenance.
