Originally published by Island Free Press: Five months to toll every N.C. ferry route: What would it take to meet the Jan. 1 deadline?
Implementing tolls on the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry route by Jan. 1, 2027, may be technically possible, but experiences in North Carolina and other states suggest that implementing a permanent, fully integrated tolling system would require more time than the roughly five months provided under the new law.
It could also cost millions of dollars before the state collects its first toll on the currently free Hatteras-Ocracoke crossing, while creating another staffing challenge for a ferry route that has repeatedly struggled to fill positions.
The state budget signed into law July 7 requires the N.C. Department of Transportation to begin collecting tolls on every state-operated ferry route no later than January 1.
The law does not establish individual fares, specify whether drivers will pay online or at terminals, require toll booths or electronic collection, or explain how vehicles will be identified and charged on routes that have never collected fares before.
Instead, the Board of Transportation, in consultation with the Ferry Division, must establish and periodically adjust tolls to help finance a vessel replacement schedule developed by the division.
The law also authorizes the Ferry Division to use available money from its existing operations budget to purchase and install the technology and infrastructure necessary to collect tolls. It does not provide a separate appropriation for establishing a system, despite implementation costs that could be millions of dollars.
That leaves NCDOT with a compressed schedule to select a collection method, establish rates, identify vehicle classes and exemptions, procure equipment, modify software, install electrical and communications connections, train employees, test the system, and explain it to the public.
As of late July, NCDOT had not announced a proposed collection system or fare schedule.
Sen. Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck, who has repeatedly opposed tolling the currently free ferry routes, said the Ferry Division staff are doing everything they can despite the compressed timeline.
“The Ferry Division is working their tail off right now to try to figure out how to get this done, but I don’t see a foreseeable way for them to get it done without a bunch of hiccups,” Hanig said. “There’s so much that has to go into it.”
Hanig also noted that the tolling requirement was adopted before the state had developed a clear implementation plan or completed its ongoing economic impact study and performance audit of the Ferry Division.
“You can tell it’s agenda-driven because there’s no plan,” he said. “A few leaders decided this was what they wanted to do. There wasn’t a lot of thought put into how it would actually work. ‘Let’s get it done before the audit. Let’s get it done before the economic impact [study]. Let’s do something.'”
Hatteras-Ocracoke poses a unique tolling challenge
Justin LeBlanc of the Ocracoke Access Alliance (OAA) said the Hatteras route is fundamentally different from the state’s reservation-based ferries, making it difficult to address.
“This is not a system where you just expand the existing reservation system and toll system to the rest of the fleet,” LeBlanc said. “This is a completely different beast. Something has to be created from scratch, and doing that in five months is going to be really hard.”
North Carolina already charges fares on the Cedar Island-Ocracoke, Swan Quarter-Ocracoke, and Southport-Fort Fisher vehicle ferries, as well as the seasonal Ocracoke Express passenger ferry.
The new requirement would extend tolls to Hatteras-Ocracoke, Currituck-Knotts Island, Bayview-Aurora, and Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach.
These seven total routes do not all operate in the same way.
Cedar Island-Ocracoke and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke are long, scheduled crossings where travelers can reserve space and purchase tickets in advance. Hatteras-Ocracoke is a shorter, high-volume route that does not accept reservations and operates on a first-come, first-served basis, with special priority boarding for Ocracoke residents, emergency vehicles, and pre-approved vendors.
Approximately 165,000 vehicles use the Hatteras-Ocracoke route each year, according to information previously presented by the Ocracoke Access Alliance (OAA) and the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. Vehicles enter stacking lanes – or simply wait on N.C. Highway 12 on the Ocracoke side of the crossing – and board the next available ferry as space permits.
This operating model allows traffic to move continuously but leaves no existing point where every driver must stop to pay a toll, present a ticket or annual pass, or be identified for electronic billing.
Option 1: Staffed booths or payment kiosks
One way to begin collecting a toll would be to install staffed booths or payment stations at the terminal. Drivers could stop, pay with cash or a card, or show proof of an annual pass before entering the stacking lanes or boarding the ferry.
That approach could be faster to deploy than a fully electronic system and would give attendants an immediate way to resolve questions about oversized vehicles, exemptions, and failed payments.
It would also risk slowing traffic at Hatteras and Ocracoke, two of the state ferry system’s busiest terminals. Every transaction would add time before a vehicle could enter the line, potentially creating backups during summer weekends and other high-volume periods. And it would be difficult to implement in Ocracoke, where ferry traffic is congregated along the highway.
A staffed system would require booths or portable collection stations, card readers, cash-control procedures, security, network connections, and additional employees to operate multiple shifts. It would also need backup procedures during power, internet, or communications outages, which are a regular issue on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.
An unmanned kiosk system could reduce staffing requirements somewhat but would still require vehicles to stop. Drivers unfamiliar with the equipment—or those paying for trailers or requesting exemptions—could take longer to process than other motorists.
Finding space for a kiosk at the northern Ocracoke terminal could also prove difficult. Unlike Hatteras, there are no dedicated stacking lanes, and N.C. Highway 12 runs immediately adjacent to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, leaving little room for additional infrastructure.
Option 2: Electronic tolling
The principal alternative would be an all-electronic collection system modeled on NC Quick Pass and E-ZPass.
North Carolina’s toll highways already use cashless tolling. Vehicles with NC Quick Pass accounts are identified electronically, while motorists without accounts receive an invoice by mail. Drivers do not stop at a toll booth.
The state also offers an “NC Only” account that does not require a transponder. A driver registers a license plate, and tolls are deducted from a prepaid balance when the plate is read on a North Carolina toll facility.
Using the existing NC Quick Pass operation appears to offer the most direct route to automated ferry tolling because the state already has customer accounts, license-plate billing, mailed invoices, payment processing, and customer-service systems.
Readers and cameras could be placed over or beside the entrance to the Hatteras and Ocracoke stacking lanes. A vehicle with a compatible transponder or registered plate could be charged automatically. A vehicle without an account could be billed by mail.
The Ocracoke Access Alliance earlier recommended preserving the first-come, first-served operation at Hatteras while using E-ZPass-compatible or toll-by-license-plate technology rather than staffed booths.
The alliance suggested installing the equipment at the Hatteras terminal rather than at the north end of Ocracoke.
Hatteras has extensive stacking lanes, an entrance booth, and a comparatively sheltered location, while the Ocracoke terminal is more exposed to wind, overwash, and severe weather.
Under that concept, drivers would be identified and charged electronically as they entered the Hatteras line without stopping.
Even if NCDOT uses NC Quick Pass, however, the roadside equipment would represent only one part of the project.
The system would have to recognize ferry transactions, apply the correct rate, distinguish vehicle and trailer classes, honor the new annual commuter pass, identify exempt vehicles, and determine whether a charge should be collected at one or both ends of a route.
The state would also have to determine whether existing NC Quick Pass vendor contracts can be amended to cover ferry terminals or whether a new procurement is required.
One-way collection could reduce equipment needs
One option that would connect with any toll implementation method would be to collect the entire fare only at Hatteras.
The Ocracoke Access Alliance proposed either a $10 charge in each direction or a $20 charge when departing Hatteras, with no charge collected on the return crossing. (It’s important to note that these are advocacy proposals, not rates approved by the state.)
Collecting only at Hatteras could eliminate the immediate need to install equipment at the Ocracoke terminal and reduce exposure to overwash and storms.
It could also create complications. Some travelers arrive on Ocracoke through Cedar Island or Swan Quarter and leave through Hatteras, while others enter through Hatteras and depart on a mainland route. The state would have to decide whether a Hatteras charge represents payment for one crossing or an assumed round trip.
A one-direction system could also produce different costs for travelers depending on where their trip begins and which route they use to leave the island, resulting in confusion as well as inherent underpayment or overpayment of the established fares.
Online tickets could provide an interim option
NCDOT could adapt its existing ferry ticketing and reservation platform instead of immediately integrating every currently free route into the NC Quick Pass/E-ZPass network or building brand new toll collection infrastructure that would require additional employees and weather-resistant equipment.
Under that approach, drivers could purchase a ticket online, enter a license plate number, and present a barcode or confirmation to a ferry employee before boarding. Travelers arriving without tickets could purchase one at a staffed payment station, kiosk, or through a mobile website before entering the boarding process.
Unlike the state’s reservation-only ferry routes, tickets would not necessarily have to be tied to a specific departure time. To preserve Hatteras-Ocracoke’s first-come, first-served operation, a ticket could simply remain valid for a set period or until it was scanned at boarding.
Such a system is relatively straightforward on routes that already sell tickets and accept reservations. It would be more challenging on Hatteras-Ocracoke and the other currently free routes, where ticket sales, payment verification, and customer assistance would need to be integrated into an operation that has never required passengers to stop before boarding.
Although less technologically demanding than automatic license-plate billing, the approach would still require software modifications, payment-security testing, equipment, employee training, and procedures for refunds, canceled crossings, and travelers without internet or credit-card access.
A hybrid system could also be developed, allowing travelers to use NC Quick Pass, prepay online, or pay at the terminal. While that would provide greater flexibility, it would also be more complex to administer because multiple payment methods would need to communicate with the same accounting and verification system.
Staffing could determine which system is workable
The choice of collection method would also determine whether the new system adds to the Ferry Division’s workforce pressures.
The budget law, approved in July after more than a year of negotiations, does not create toll-collection positions or provide a dedicated appropriation to hire employees to administer the new program.
It includes approximately $12 million in nonrecurring funding for both ferry operations and increased fuel costs, and $3 million for maintenance and capital needs. But it does not specify that any of the money will be used for toll collectors or customer-service personnel.
A traditional toll booth or staffed payment station would require employees to process fares, check annual passes and exemptions, classify vehicles, assist travelers, and reconcile payments at the end of a shift.
The full summer schedule includes Hatteras departures from 5 a.m. through midnight and Ocracoke departures from 4 a.m. through midnight. Staffing even one payment position throughout that operating day would presumably require several employees and shift coverage for weekends, holidays, leave, and seasonal traffic peaks.
Assigning payment duties to existing terminal workers could draw them away from loading vessels, directing vehicles, and carrying out safety-related responsibilities.
And recruitment is already an ongoing concern for the statewide ferry system. It’s particularly significant on Hatteras and Ocracoke, where employers throughout the islands contend with a limited supply and high cost of year-round housing.
A booth-based system could therefore be easier to install technologically but harder to sustain operationally if the division cannot recruit enough people to staff it.
An all-electronic system would reduce the need for on-site collectors, but it would not fully eliminate labor costs. Employees or contractors would still be needed to review unreadable plates, verify pass eligibility, maintain accounts, answer questions, handle invoices and disputes, and pursue unpaid charges.
Some of that work could potentially be absorbed by the existing NC Quick Pass customer-service system. NC Quick Pass says it serves more than 2 million customers annually and operates a back-office system that manages accounts, invoices, online payments, and telephone or in-person assistance. However, NCDOT has not said whether ferry tolling could be added to that operation with existing employees or whether it would require additional state positions or a larger vendor contract.
An online-ticket or kiosk system would fall between the two approaches. It might require fewer dedicated collectors than staffed booths, but terminal employees would still have to assist travelers, verify purchases, and resolve problems.
The law authorizes the Ferry Division to use available operating funds to purchase and install the technology and infrastructure needed to collect tolls. It does not provide a dedicated appropriation for additional toll collectors, customer-service personnel or other administrative staff, leaving those extra costs to be covered from the division’s existing budget.
Hanig said the implementation challenge extends well beyond simply collecting fees.
“Technology, infrastructure, and advertising would probably be the three biggest concerns,” he said. “You’ve got to let people know what’s changing, build a system that works, and make sure it’s staffed and ready to go. There’s a lot more to this than just deciding to charge a toll.”
Comparable electronic systems took months or years
Examples from other states show that physical tolling equipment can sometimes be installed in less than a year when a state already has a functioning E-ZPass operation, and months or years of detailed advance planning, which North Carolina does not possess.
They also show that building or replacing the billing and account-management system behind that equipment can take years.
Massachusetts began work in January 2016 to replace 24 Massachusetts Turnpike toll plazas with 16 electronic tolling gantries. After roughly 10 months of construction, installation, and testing, the state’s new cashless tolling system began operating on Oct. 28, 2016.
Construction continued even after toll collection began, as crews demolished former toll plazas and completed roadway reconfiguration projects that, at one location, lasted until 2018.
Massachusetts was not creating an electronic toll program from scratch. It already participated in E-ZPass and had customer accounts, billing operations, and advance planning behind the conversion.
The example suggests that cameras, readers, communications equipment, and overhead structures can be installed and tested in about 10 months under the best conditions. North Carolina has less time than that to establish policies and systems for ferry routes that have never charged fares before.
Washington State offers another example of the time required to implement a modern tolling system in a brand new environment.
In 2017, the Washington State Legislature approved $30 million for the Department of Transportation to replace its first-generation ‘Good To Go!’ electronic toll collection system as the original system neared the end of its service life.
The first phase of the replacement was not completed until July 2021—roughly four years later. By then, the estimated total project cost had increased from $30 million to $43 million.
The Washington State Auditor found that vendor staffing and turnover contributed to delays, while several planned features were deferred to a later phase. Much of the $13 million increase resulted from extending existing contracts while the replacement system was being completed.
While Washington’s project was substantially larger than what North Carolina would face, it illustrates that modern electronic tolling involves far more than installing cameras and transponder readers. The back-office system must manage customer accounts, vehicle records, invoices, payments, disputes, enforcement, financial reporting, and customer service.
North Carolina’s own implementation of the I-485 Express Lanes near Charlotte illustrates how major tolling projects are often introduced in stages rather than all at once, but they still take time.
The overall effort spanned roughly four years from planning and construction to the initial launch of tolling, with some of the system’s most advanced features—including dynamic pricing—not scheduled to be activated until about a year after the lanes opened.
Construction on the approximately 17-mile express lanes project had been underway for several years before the lanes officially opened to traffic on Feb. 28, 2026. The project added one express lane in each direction between I-77 and U.S. 74 in Charlotte, along with a new interchange, bridge improvements, and additional general-purpose lanes.
Although motorists began using the lanes immediately after they opened, after many months of forethought, NCDOT initially relied on fixed toll rates based on vehicle length, time of day, and day of the week, rather than implementing its full dynamic pricing system. During the first month or so, roadway transactions were manually reviewed to ensure accuracy, temporarily delaying tolls from appearing on customers’ NC Quick Pass accounts.
At the time, NCDOT said the more complicated and dynamic pricing – which adjusts tolls based on congestion levels – would begin within approximately 12 months of opening rather than on the first day of operation.
That phased rollout allowed the state to begin collecting tolls while delaying one of the system’s most complex features until additional operational data had been collected, and the technology had been tested under real-world conditions. This illustrates the distinction between launching a basic toll collection system and bringing every component of a modern electronic tolling network online simultaneously.
And when it comes to how the I-485 project relates to the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry route, the challenge facing the Ferry Division is arguably more complex than simply collecting a fixed or even a dynamic highway toll.
Any permanent ferry system must distinguish among multiple vehicle classes and trailers, recognize annual commuter passes, identify exempt vehicles, determine whether tolls should be collected in one or both directions, integrate with existing NC Quick Pass accounts or other payment methods, and accommodate a high-volume, first-come, first-served boarding process that differs significantly from a traditional highway toll facility.
Those added layers of policy, software, and operational requirements help explain why many transportation agencies implement electronic tolling in phases rather than attempting to activate every feature on the first day.
And even then, the process typically doesn’t go from zero to implementation in less than six months.
There are years of planning involved, which the new-in-July law does not allow.
Costs vary widely depending on what is included
The Ocracoke Access Alliance has previously estimated that an electronic collection system at Hatteras could cost approximately $1 million to $3 million to establish, with annual maintenance costs potentially reaching $500,000.
The actual cost would likely depend on how much existing infrastructure the state can reuse.
A limited system consisting of card terminals, portable booths, or kiosks and modifications to existing ferry-ticketing software would likely cost less initially than a full NC Quick Pass installation. It could, however, create higher continuing payroll and transaction-processing costs.
A license-plate system would need cameras, lighting, readers, mounting structures, vehicle-classification equipment, power, communications, and connections to the NC Quick Pass back office.
Costs would rise if NCDOT installs equipment at both ends of every route, builds permanent booths, modifies traffic lanes, or adds redundant power and communications systems. Ongoing maintenance of electronic equipment exposed to salt air, wind, and severe coastal weather would also naturally add to long-term operating costs.
Customer behavior would affect continuing costs as well.
NCDOT has previously said that collecting a toll from a driver without an NC Quick Pass account costs approximately three times more than collecting from an account holder because of the added expense associated with Bill by Mail. Because Cape Hatteras National Seashore attracts roughly 2.8 million visitors each year, many ferry passengers are likely to travel without NC Quick Pass accounts established.
Out-of-state transponders would not necessarily present a problem if a ferry system is made E-ZPass-compatible. NC Quick Pass accounts with transponders can currently be used to pay tolls in 19 states.
But regardless, visitors without compatible accounts would have to be billed by mail, pay online in advance, or complete a transaction at the terminal. And those amounts to process every transaction add up.
Different systems would naturally require different timelines
Based on the steps typically involved and the timelines of comparable projects, the possible collection methods appear to fall into several general planning ranges.
Unlike the examples below, however, where months or years of planning preceded implementation, North Carolina’s law establishes a Jan. 1, 2027, deadline before the state has been able to fully research a toll collection method or a detailed implementation plan. That planning, which is happening now, obviously adds time to the physical work involved to get tolls up and running.
A temporary staffed or card-based system might be installed in approximately 6-12 months if NCDOT can use available equipment, existing payment software, and an expedited procurement process.
Such a system might satisfy the statutory requirement to begin collecting tolls by Jan. 1, but it could increase traffic delays and recurring staffing costs, and it could be hindered if additional staff could not be hired.
An online-ticket system with scanning or manual verification could take roughly 8-12 months or more, depending on how extensively the existing ferry reservation platform must be modified.
An electronic license-plate system connected to the existing NC Quick Pass back office could take roughly 12 to 18 months to design, procure, install, and test. Using existing state accounts and billing operations could shorten the work, but ferry-specific pricing, terminal equipment, vehicle classifications, exemptions, and annual-pass functions would still have to be added.
A new system combining license-plate billing, E-ZPass interoperability, multiple vehicle classes, annual passes, automated exemptions, online tickets, and terminal payments could take 18 months or several years if it requires a major competitive procurement or extensive back-office software changes.
Those are broad analytical estimates based on other states’ efforts for somewhat comparable systems, not official NCDOT projections or timelines taken from a directly comparable ferry project.
Actual schedules would depend on contract authority, equipment availability, site conditions, staffing, and the extent to which existing systems can be modified.
The Massachusetts experience is perhaps the most relevant physical-installation comparison: a state with an established E-ZPass program took about 10 months from the beginning of construction to launch a tested electronic system. And there was a ton of planning before any of these changes happened.
North Carolina has fewer than six months between the July 7 signing of the budget and the Jan. 1 collection deadline, and the law provides no guidelines or blueprint.
In late July, the department said discussions about pricing, collection methods, and infrastructure were only beginning.
LeBlanc noted that the Board of Transportation meets monthly, leaving relatively few opportunities before Jan. 1 to establish toll rates, policies and collection methods.
“It’s a huge procedural challenge,” he said
Exemptions and passes add another layer
The budget law exempts school buses and other qualifying student-transportation vehicles from tolls.
The legislation does not expressly exempt ambulances, fire apparatus, law enforcement vehicles, county vehicles, utility crews, or other public-service vehicles.
It also creates a $150 annual commuter pass for permanent residents of North Carolina’s coastal counties and active-duty military personnel. The $150 price is fixed through June 30, 2028, after which the Board of Transportation will be permitted to set the pass price.
The pass is valid for one vehicle for one year and allows travel on state ferry routes without an additional per-trip charge.
A tolling system would need a method to recognize each exempt vehicle and annual-pass holder without requiring lengthy manual checks.
The new commuter pass is also separate from the Ferry Division’s existing Priority Pass, which provides preferred boarding to certain residents and essential-service vehicles. Buying the annual commuter pass would not automatically provide priority boarding.
That distinction would have to be clearly explained to ferry users and programmed into any electronic verification system in order to move forward.
Revenue is restricted to vessel replacement
Money from the tolls will be deposited in the Ferry Capital Special Fund and restricted to ferry vessel replacement projects rather than fuel, salaries, or other ordinary operating expenses.
The Ferry Division’s aging fleet is the primary argument advanced by supporters of tolling. A 2024 vessel-replacement model cited in legislative presentations estimated costs of approximately $552 million during the first 20 years and about $1.13 billion over 50 years.
The law authorizes the division to use available operating money to buy and install tolling technology and infrastructure. It does not identify a separate source for any additional staffing or administrative expenses.
That creates an unusual funding sequence: the Ferry Division must use operating resources to establish and administer a collection system while the money generated by that system is reserved for vessel replacement.
LeBlanc said replacing vessels is only one piece of a much larger conversation about the ferry system’s future.
“We know we’re planning for vessel replacement,” LeBlanc said. “What we don’t know is what the ferry system is going to look like 10 years from now.”
He pointed to long-standing questions surrounding the future of N.C. 12 on northern Ocracoke Island, ongoing discussions about transportation resiliency, and previous studies that have examined whether the northern Ocracoke ferry terminal may eventually need to be relocated because of shoreline change.
“Before we spend hundreds of millions of dollars on new boats, we also have to be asking what the route itself is going to look like,” LeBlanc said. “Are the terminals in the same place? Is the route operating the same way? Those are the kinds of long-term questions that need to be part of the planning process.”
Reviews will not be finished before tolls begin
The Ferry Division is participating in a new economic-impact study conducted by the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at N.C. State University.
The study is intended to help the division better understand the needs and experiences of passengers on each route. Public surveys are being accepted through Dec. 31—one day before the toll mandate takes effect.
A previous ITRE report found that the ferry system supported 5,860 jobs, generated $217.3 million in labor income and contributed $735.2 million in statewide economic output.
A separate state performance audit of the Ferry Division is due to lawmakers Jan. 15, 2027. The audit will examine finances, operations, maintenance, route structure, scheduling and potential revenue sources.
Under the current law, toll collection must begin before either review is completed.
What can realistically be ready by January?
North Carolina conceivably possesses several building blocks that could be potentially used to haphazardly establish ferry toll collection, depending on how the state moves forward.
NCDOT operates an online ferry reservation system, while the N.C. Turnpike Authority already manages NC Quick Pass accounts, transponders, license plate billing, and Bill by Mail.
If utilized, those existing systems mean North Carolina would not be starting entirely from nothing.
Even so, in the best version of the future, implementing a functioning toll collection system on previously free ferry routes by the Jan. 1 deadline would present significant challenges.
Beyond installing payment equipment, the state would have to establish tolling policies, procure and install hardware, modify software, integrate ferry operations with NC Quick Pass and other payment systems, develop enforcement and customer-service procedures, train employees, educate the public, and thoroughly test the system before collecting revenue.
The comparisons from Massachusetts and Washington suggest that a permanent electronic system is a different matter.
Massachusetts took approximately 10 months to install and test its physical system after years of extensive advanced planning. Washington’s replacement of an existing back-office system took several years, increased in estimated cost from $30 million to $43 million, and still required some features to be deferred until whenever.
North Carolina’s ferry project would arguably be smaller than either highway system. But it must accommodate seven routes with substantially different traffic volumes, trip lengths, reservation practices, and passenger needs.
It must also accommodate multiple vehicle classes, annual passes, exemptions, visitors from across the country, and the unusual traffic pattern at Hatteras—all while avoiding a labor-intensive system in an area where the Ferry Division is already struggling to recruit seasonal and permanent workers.
For now, the budget answers only the broadest questions: every route must charge a toll, collection must begin by Jan. 1, and the resulting revenue must be used for vessel replacement.
The rates, collection system, terminal design, vehicle classifications, exemptions, staffing plan, and final implementation cost remain undecided.
A temporary or limited payment system may be achievable by the deadline, with lots of challenges to overcome along the way.
The comparable projects reviewed for this article generally spent months or years planning before implementation began. North Carolina, by contrast, enacted a law requiring toll collection to begin Jan. 1, 2027, before publicly identifying a collection method or releasing a detailed implementation plan.
So while many questions remain unanswered, Hanig said the focus now should be on helping the Ferry Division implement whatever system is ultimately adopted while minimizing its impact on coastal communities.
“We’re at a situation where it’s going to happen,” Hanig said. “The question is, how can we make it happen with as little impact to residents as possible? Everyone’s working together to get that done.”
Hanig also encouraged residents to continue sharing ideas with lawmakers as the implementation process moves forward.
“Residents, send them in,” he said. “It’s all good information. Everyone speaking up and having a voice makes a big difference. Reach out to your legislators—we have issues here, and you need to speak up.”