Mayor Alvin Brown has agreed to contribute $100,000 from the current City budget and City Council member Bill Gulliford pledged to seek $100,000 from the Council budget for the St. Johns River Ferry.
Gulliford, Council vice president and chair of its Ad Hoc Committee to Fund the St. Johns River Ferry, said Tuesday Brown promised the funding, which will help keep the ferry operating for another year.
The Jacksonville Port Authority already has agreed to contribute $200,000 as long as other funding was secured to operate the ferry.
Daily Record news partner WJXT Channel 4 reported the Atlantic Beach City Commission also has approved a $5,000 contribution to fund the ferry.
The latest commitments push the financial backing for the ferry to $400,000 and the City has requested $300,000 from the Florida Department of Transportation.
“We are still waiting to hear back from the secretary of the Department of Transportation on our request. We hope to hear back from him soon. He gave us assurance that he would be back to us fairly quickly,” Gulliford said.
The St. Johns River Ferry links Florida A1A at Mayport.
The ad hoc committee, based on information provided by the current operator, JaxPort, estimated that the St. Johns River Ferry Commission would need about $600,000 to continue to operate the ferry for nine months to a year while it develops funding sources for needed repairs and continued operation of the ferry.
The operation of the ferry continues to be subsidized due to revenue shortfalls and the Jacksonville Port Authority predicts about a $650,000 deficit in fiscal year 2011-12.
The ad hoc committee is predicting a 12 percent increase in ridership, increases in fares and less time for the ferry to be out of operation because of the service performed last winter will help cut that deficit to about $311,000.
“We don’t want to put fear in people that we are raising all the rates on the ferry. We are looking at weight and axles, and the coupon book,” said Elaine Brown, former Council president.
Brown is awaiting Council approval to become a member of the St. Johns River Ferry Commission, which would operate the ferry.
The JPA announced earlier this year that it would discontinue operating the ferry because of the financial strain it placed on its “core business.” Unless another operator was found, it would stop service Sept. 30, the end of its fiscal year.
The City considered discontinuing the ferry service in 2007 because of similar budget issues and asked the port to take over operations. The port agreed and has been the operator since then.
The ferry has been in operation since 1948. The Florida Department of Transportation was the first operator, followed by the City in 1997.
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