AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n
Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n An Eastern North Carolina Republican lawmaker voted against the GOP-drafted budget because of the inclusion of a provision that would require tolls on all ferry routes starting in January.<\/p>\n Read more NC braces for sweltering Fourth of July heat. Will the power grid hold up?<\/a><\/p>\n In an initial vote, the lawmaker, Sen. Bobby Hanig of Powells Point, was joined in his opposition by Sen. Norman Sanderson of Minnesott Beach. They were the only two Republicans across both chambers to vote against the bill Wednesday. Several Democrats joined the GOP in support.<\/p>\n Hanig, on Wednesday, said the toll could be called a \u201cfee, but it is a tax.\u201d He was absent for the final vote on Thursday.<\/p>\n Sanderson, before the vote, said he was \u201cin the valley of indecision\u201d and would make his final decision during the five seconds that senators are given to vote. He voted no.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Sanderson voted yes.<\/p>\n North Carolina operates seven ferry routes. The budget, which now heads to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein\u2019s desk, would add tolls to the four ferry routes that are now free. Fares are already charged on the two routes serving Ocracoke Island, the route to Fort Fisher, and the seasonal Ocracoke Express passenger ferry.<\/p>\n The budget requires the Department of Transportation, which houses the Ferry Division, to establish tolls for all ferry routes. It does not specify toll amounts but says they must be set at levels sufficient to fund passenger vessel replacement costs. Residents and active-duty military personnel in coastal counties would be eligible to purchase a commuter pass for $150 per year. The budget provides about $40 million in new funding for the Ferry Division, including $3 million for ramp and gantry crane rehabilitation and maintenance at ferry terminals, bringing the division\u2019s total appropriation to just over $100 million.<\/p>\n \u201cNo North Carolina citizen should have to pay a toll to ride on a ferry,\u201d Hanig said. \u201cI made a promise to my constituents a long time ago that I would not vote for a ferry tax,\u201d and \u201dso for that reason, I have to be no on this budget,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Sanderson, similar to Hanig, asked his Senate colleagues to reconsider the ferry tolls. He said a complete audit of the ferry system could find savings elsewhere.<\/p>\n The House on Thursday passed a bill previously approved by the Senate directing the Office of the State Auditor to conduct a performance audit of the Ferry Division.<\/a> The audit will examine, among other things, the feasibility of a percentage-of-revenue funding model, under which funding would be based on income, such as ticket sales, rather than appropriations. The bill now goes to the governor.<\/p>\n Sanderson, of Pamlico County on the coast, said the ferry is \u201ca part of our life. It really is. We don\u2019t even think about using it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is very important to the ones that live in coastal Eastern North Carolina,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s an intricate part of our transportation system, and it\u2019s not something that I feel like that we should double charge our people to use.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Mike Lazzara, an Onslow County Republican and a chair of transportation appropriations, wasn\u2019t immediately available for comment by phone or email.<\/p>\n It\u2019s rare for Republicans to oppose a state budget crafted by their party. But Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters on Wednesday that \u201cwe have members that have local issues that they perceive as very important to their constituents, and that\u2019s just what happens from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more Joe Jonas Makes Rare Comment About Girlfriend Tatiana Gabriela<\/a><\/p>\n Berger is leaving the legislature after losing his primary in March after 25 years in the Senate and more than 15 years as the most powerful Republican in North Carolina.<\/p>\n Republican House Speaker Destin Hall told The N&O as he talked with reporters after the vote on Wednesday evening that \u201con our side we had a strong vote today, so it really wasn\u2019t an issue,\u201d unlike in the Senate.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand for the members that are in coastal districts, in particular, it can be a hot-button issue, but at the same time, it\u2019s critical that we provide those ferries, and we do it in a way where they\u2019ve got reliable equipment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cJust like everything else, the cost of that has gone up \u2014 and so we think it\u2019s reasonable to have some fee for use of those. And of course it\u2019s folks who, not just who live there, but people who are tourists and on vacation, and so we want to make sure that that service remains.\u201d<\/p>\n Hall also said the fees are an effort to reduce costs for the Ferry Division, and that he hopes \u201cto keep those fees very low, but also continue to maintain a robust ferry system.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first time the two senators have broken ranks with their party.<\/p>\n Hanig opposed a similar toll provision in the 2025 Senate budget proposal. They also both opposed a bill last year that would have banned shrimp trawling within a half-mile of the coast. That bill drew fierce opposition from shrimpers in Eastern North Carolina, with many showing up at the legislature, and their business trucks passing in front of Jones Street at the General Assembly, horns blaring in solidarity. That episode has since been dubbed by many as \u201cShrimpgate.\u201d<\/p>\n Hanig was a big part of that. He encouraged North Carolina residents to ask their senators to oppose the legislation, and he passionately opposed it during floor votes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to save our heritage. We need to save our fisheries,\u201d he said during a floor debate then.<\/p>\n The bill passed the Senate overwhelmingly<\/a>, but House Republicans decided not to take it up<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hanig went on to attempt a run for Congress. And while the senator lost the primary to former Army Col. Laurie Buckhout, some Republican Party officials told The N&O that Hanig had name recognition in his area due to his role in Shrimpgate.<\/p>\n Rene\u2019 Moseley Etheridge, chairwoman of the Currituck County Republican Party in Hanig\u2019s home county, said in February before that primary that Buckhout and Hanig stood out in the congressional race \u2014 Buckhout for her past run in the district, and Hanig because he \u201cwent to bat for the fishing industry.\u201d<\/p>\n