LUMMI, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A judge has ruled for and against a Lummi Island resident over a fare increase lawsuit.
Court documents state that plaintiff Peter Earle was justified in his argument that an increase in Lummi Island Ferry rates was miscalculated.
Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Evan Jones ruled that the county misclassified other expenses to justify a June rate increase.
County officials had instituted the rate hike in an effort to recoup $800,000 in emergency expenses made in 2022. But Judge Jones ruled that no rates may be changed until a new solution to cover those costs is proposed.
A separate portion of the lawsuit that claimed that ferry riders should not have to cover part of a lease agreement with the Lummi Nation was rejected. Earle argued that the lease payments should be reclassified so riders don’t have to pay them.
