Editor,

The concerns stated in your opinion piece in the January 15 issue of The South Whidbey Record, “Concerns lay in response to audit,” are the same as mine.

I have met with Island Transit Director Martha Rose for issues concerning the agency. Presently I am campaigning for a southbound bus shelter at Ledgewood Beach, which would serve the communities of Bonair and Ledgewood.

In our meeting, she stated that there is $10,000 for the bus shelter. Building permits still need to be secured from Island County and the state Department of Transportation. The length of time taken by Island County to process a permit to me is unfathomable and WSDOT is the next major hurdle.

What is also unfathomable is that this is the second time the state Auditor’s Office has found the same issues. We don’t need the state Legislature to enact an exemption for the identification of vehicles, which Rose is requesting. The vehicles should be identified as state law requires. It gives credibility to the use of vehicles.

The board of directors for the Island County Public Transportation Benefit Area should be looking at funding and service. Island Transit is the only public transportation in the State of Washington that does not collect a user fee.  This model is fine for Island County, but brings it into competition with Skagit Transit, Community Transit and Everett Transit, who collect user fees.

Let Whidbey and Camano continue with their funding model if that is what the voters want, but restrict the competition with other public transportation systems.

BRIAN MARTIN

Coupeville