Gov. Janet Mills has vetoed a bill that would have increased the influence of an advisory board for the Maine State Ferry Service, claiming it was “unnecessary.”
The bill was one of several proposed this session after months of staffing shortages and cancellations at the Maine State Ferry Service last year that left residents of the state’s unbridged islands with disruptions in their transportation. In response, the ferry service took controversial steps that included raising its rates and hiring an out-of-state firm to help temporarily plug its staffing gaps.
State lawmakers submitted at least eight other bills this year that would affect the ferry service. Mills has signed at least five of those into law, including one that will require the Legislature to approve changes to overnight berthing of the ferry services’ vessels and another that will require a study of how the ferry service helps to deliver emergency medical care. Those were proposed after the Maine Department of Transportation suggested that it would begin berthing ferries on the mainland overnight.
Other legislation signed by Mills would study the feasibility of a new route to Monhegan, expand service to Matinicus and give retired employees of the service lifetime passes to use it.
The bill that Mills vetoed would have required the Maine State Ferry Service to consult with the advisory board on its budget, strategic planning and “major operational decisions.” On Friday, Mills said in her veto letter that the Maine DOT already consults with the panel regarding these topics.
“This bill mandates ‘consultation’ on nearly every operational decision, implicitly seeking to grant the Advisory Board a level of oversight and direction that conflicts with its intended role and undermines the Department’s legal responsibility to manage and operate the service,” Mills said in her letter.
She added that the Maine DOT must “retain operational control” of the ferry service, considering that it’s largely funded with public money.
“It is unnecessary legislation that could complicate management of a critical and complex service,” she said.
The bill had been co-sponsored by several midcoast, Hancock County and Down East legislators who represent coastal communities that rely on the ferry service.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.