“Ray Deardorf, a Washington State Ferries official for many years, knew he was making history, of sorts.This is the only time in my life I’ll be talking about a fare decrease, he told a small audience at the North Sound Ferry Advisory Committee meeting in Freeland on Thursday.But after years of nothing but increases, this slight ferry fare decrease is likely to be welcomed by those who will benefit — senior citizens and those with disabilities.Once the change is implemented in December, seniors and the disabled will pay 15 cents less to drive across from Clinton to Mukilteo, and 10 cents less to walk across from Mukilteo. Savings are similar throughout the system, with the maximum reduction 20 cents on the longer routes.The decrease was required by the Federal Transit Administration, which provides some ferry system funding. In return, the agency requires that seniors and the disabled receive at least a 50 percent ticket discount. An audit showed that after the latest ferry rate hikes last spring, those customers were paying slightly more than a 50 percent discount.The total revenue loss to the ferry system is estimated at $300,000, according to another Ferry official, Terry McCarthy. But the savings will likely be short-lived. There’s no question we’re going to try to make it up in future increases, he said. “