Jefferson County TransitPort Townsend, Washington

Activating Voters: Winning Campaigns in Small Communities

Washington State

Jefferson Transit History

• Service began June 30, 1980• Service subsidy of .3% from county sales tax revenues• Three county service by 1988• Transit Park & Ride opens in 1995• Voter approved increase of sales tax subsidy to .6% in

2000• Port Townsend Visitor Information Center relocated to

the Park & Ride in 2008• Economic downturn in 2009 leads to service reductions

in neighboring counties• Voter approved increase of sales tax subsidy to .9% in

2011

Jefferson Transit Connecting Services

• Clallam Transit: Access to the Olympic National Park Connections to ferry to Victoria, B.C.

• Kitsap Transit Access to the largest metropolitan

area on the Olympic Peninsula Connections to WSF to Seattle

Public Transportation to Sea-Tac International Airport

• Jefferson Transit $1.50• Kitsap Transit $2.00• Washington State Ferries Free (eastbound)• Sound Transit Light Rail $2.50 Total $6.00

Return Trip add • Washington State Ferries $6.90 (westbound) Total $12.90

Sales Tax Levy Campaign Message

• Transit integral to the local economyo Tourism is a growth industry-weekend service essentialo Commuters: 20 minutes to 3 hours

• Transit integral to local social serviceso Aging population growth demands/deserves public

infrastructureo We will all eventually use Dial-A-Ride

• Transit integral to local environmental goalso Goal to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020

Jefferson County Demographics

• Population: 29,300

• Port Townsend (only incorporated city) 8,945

• Median annual income: $46,780

• Median home value: $386,365

• Median age: 47.1

• Unemployment rate: 11.1%

Jefferson County Workforce Demographics

• Wage and salary sources account for a declining 30% share of the personal income in Jefferson County

• 8,200 residents work in the county• 1,500 residents commute out of county• 1,096 residents have incomes below the

poverty line• 427 residents have incomes below 50% of

the poverty line

Means of Transportation to Work

• S.O.V. 69%

• Carpool 12%

• Work at home 10%

• Walk 5%

• Bicycle 2%

• Bus 1%

• Ferry 1%