Sailing away on the Block Island Ferry may soon cost more, pending the passage of state legislation that would increase traveler landing fees to and from the island for the first time in nearly 35 years.
Two companion proposals in the Rhode Island General Assembly — each with a Senate and House version, for a total of four separate bills — would authorize a 50-cent increase in the landing fees charged to passengers ages 12 and up arriving at both Narragansett’s Port of Galilee and Block Island’s Old Harbor. That would mean a total increase of $1 per passenger for a round-trip to and from the island.
“For every person that steps off the ferry, there is assessed a landing fee to help the municipalities cover expenses that they are responsible for on both sides of that journey, from police details to garbage pickup to area maintenance and things like that,” Sen. Alana DiMario, a Narragansett Democrat and sponsor of the two Senate bills, said at a May 27 committee hearing.
On Tuesday, the House and Senate floors will vote on their respective versions of the bill to up the fee on Block Island’s side, and the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing will hear the bill to raise the fee at Narragansett’s port. The Senate passed its version of the Narragansett bill on June 3.
The price range of a round trip for riders aged 12 and up is between $16.60 and $20.60 for the traditional speed ferry, which takes about an hour from Galilee. The high-speed ferry takes about half an hour and costs $57 with the landing fee. The traditional ferry runs year round, while the high-speed service runs on a more limited timetable in the off-season.
At both ports, those prices add on a 50-cent surcharge for each passenger arriving by boat, which is collected from both private vessels and ferry operators, with the latter redirecting this surcharge into ticket prices. While Narragansett raised its landing fees from 35 cents to 50 cents in 2022, New Shoreham’s fee has not budged since 1991. But the town services supported by the fees certainly have, according to Amy Land, New Shoreham’s interim town manager, the only municipality on Block Island.
“This includes funding for seasonal police staff, support for the Block Island Medical Center, for fire, for rescue services, recreation, maintenance of public restrooms, improvements to beaches and public access,” Land told the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing at a May 1 hearing on the New Shoreham bill.
“So all those expenses that are derived from our tourist economy, and clearly the volume and costs of providing those services have increased and escalated in the 35 years since the landing fee was first introduced,” she added.
A hot summer’s day on Block Island can draw 20,000 to 30,000 tourists on average, Land said. In recent years, the town has typically grossed about $180,000 to $190,000 in landing fees annually.
Land said the majority of landing fee revenue — about $135,000 — comes from Interstate Navigation’s ferry from Galilee. An additional $35,000 is collected from ferries out of New London, Connecticut, and Orient, New York. Smaller amounts flow from the Montauk ferry, plus passengers on ships that use the town’s moorings, anchorages, and dockage. Land said the town is also collaborating with private marinas to have them collect and remit landing fees on the town’s behalf.
“That seems like your collection is low, comparatively, because the only way to get there is by boat,” said Charlestown Democratic Rep. Tina Spears, who sponsored the bill on the House side.
“Not necessarily,” Land replied. “We are confident that our primary channel, Interstate, is remitting fairly and appropriately. You may have people who come and stay for an extended period. You have others that come and go. So the timing of visitors is something we’ve always been challenged to document.”
For every person that steps off the ferry, there is assessed a landing fee to help the municipalities cover expenses that they are responsible for on both sides of that journey, from police details to garbage pickup to area maintenance and things like that.
Rep. Lauren Carson, a Newport Democrat, suggested New Shoreham should raise landing fees more, then nodded to her own successful legislation last year that saw Newport raise its fees for docked cruise ships from $6 to $20 per passenger.
“We are hoping to come back more frequently over time,” Land said.
In the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government, Chair Jake Bissaillon, a Providence Democrat, had only one question for lobbyist Rick McAuliffeof The Mayforth Group, which represents New Shoreham: Why wasn’t the bill introduced alongside the previous Narragansett legislation in 2022?
“To be honest with you, we weren’t prepared,” McAulliffe said. “We wanted to make sure that we had a number that would justify the public safety and things that we have.”
McAuliffe said there are two State Police troopers who come to the island during the summer, plus additional police detail to handle the summer months’ massive crowds. The medical center is “very full” on a hot summer’s day, he added.
“Certainly, tourism dollars are important to the island, but there’s a cost to host so many residents, so many tourists,” McAulliffe said. “I can’t say we won’t come back in another 35 years.”
Back and forth
In March, the New Shoreham Town Council originally considered asking the General Assembly for permission to raise the landing fee from the current 50 cents to $1.75 — a $1.25 increase. Councilors voted on March 27 to seek approval from the General Assembly for the $1.25 landing fee increase.
But at the April 2 council meeting, Interstate lawyer Michael McElroy said that such a drastic increase would trigger Narragansett to do the same and ultimately push round-trip landing costs to increase by $3.25 per passenger, according to the Block Island Times.
“$1.75 is a big deal and Narragansett will want to match it,” McElroy was quoted in the Times.
The New Shoreham Town Council revised its plan on April 9 to reduce the proposed increase to 50 cents, for a $1 landing fee on the island. DiMario’s first bill submitted on April 16 had sought the $1.25 increase. A week later, councilors met with DiMario and Spears virtually to align their proposals on Smith Hill with the requested 50-cent increase.
McElroy’s hunch about Narragansett was confirmed on May 19. On that night, the Narragansett Town Council approved a resolution for a 50-cent increase to match New Shoreham.
Interstate Navigation did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story.
Each of the four bills must pass both the House and Senate before the legislation can arrive on the governor’s desk. The bills would take effect upon passage.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
