The Mackinac Bridge Authority did not define who will qualify for the commuter discount on the bridge at last week's meeting in St. Ignace - a decision awaited by the traveling public - but it did offer a rollback on the amount of money that has to be deposited on commuter cards.

Drivers using commuter cards to cross the bridge will be allowed to refill their cards in increments of $50, rather than the $80 now required, the Authority decided Friday, December 12. The move gives some relief to customers and community leaders who complained that the $80 minimum, set in July, was a burden for local people. Remaining in question, however, is how long the cards will be valid before they expire, and whether the discount cards may some day be made available only to drivers in certain geographical areas or those crossing with a certain frequency. The Authority has pushed that decision back until at least March, when it meets in Oakland County.

While discussion at the committee level suggested the Authority may one day consider setting a rate structure that would encompass regular traffic, commuter traffic, and perhaps add a "frequent user" rate, the Authority made no other changes to the commuter program this time.

Until a new decision is reached, all bridge cards are currently set to expire at the end of 2009. The commuter rate is $1.60 per automobile crossing, compared to the regular rate of $3.

Rolling back the $80 minimum addresses the most common complaint heard from customers, pointed out Bob Sweeney, executive secretary of the Mackinac Bridge Authority. Seventy-five percent of customer comments at the bridge are pleas to cut the minimum deposit on the cards, and the second most common suggestion is to eliminate or push back the expiration date.

Following last week's decision, a $10 fee plus $80 deposit is still required to open new accounts, but subsequent deposits can be made of as little as $50, effective at midnight December 12. Deposits may be made in cash at the toll booth in $50 increments. When paying by check or in other increments, payments must be made inside the office. Payments in the office must be made in increments of $50, or any amount of $90 or more.

The Thursday committee meeting that preceded the full board meeting Friday featured a discussion of criteria Authority members are considering about the commuter program, and prompted representatives from St. Ignace, Mackinaw City, and Mackinac Straits Hospital to attend to voice their concerns about the impact of bridge crossing prices on local people and the Straits economy.

They appealed to the board to set no expiration or a lengthy expiration term on the cards, and reduce the $80 minimum.

After hearing statistics about bridge traffic presented to the board, compared with rates at other bridges across the country, a representative of the St. Ignace hospital asked board members to consider the "real stories" of people using the bridge, and not impose an expiration date.

"You have a tough job, trying to be stewards of our beautiful bridge and what we need," said Barb Davis, a nursing administrator at Mackinac Straits Hospital. "I have a tough job, too, trying to keep our hospital staffed. Computer data can't tell us things like how many of those folks were traveling to get chemotherapy. The data doesn't get down to those real stories."

A lot of the hospital's "pool staff" of occasional workers travels from Cheboygan, Petoskey, and other northern Lower Michigan towns to work at Mackinac Straits, she said, "not traveling two or three times a week, but maybe only a few times a month." Many of these workers are not using commuter cards, because they're reluctant to make a deposit that they fear will expire before they can use it up, she said.

"When I call them in [to work], they're going to tell me no because of the cost," Mrs. Davis said.

For local people, "putting a limit on the commuter card can damage their budget. We are not Detroit

[Ambassador Bridge]. We are rural," Mrs. Davis continued. "The definition of a commuter should change with the community. I don't want our local people to be paying the debts of the bridge unfairly."

People are able to budget for the $80 expense, she believes, but for many, the main concern is the expiration of the cards.

Authority Chairman William Gnodtke responded, "The bridge is a state asset and I have to look at it statewide, but I am not insensitive to the needs of the locals."

Authority Vice Chair Barbara Brown's stated viewpoint is that the board should be mindful of the crossing statistics, but it has a responsibility to the local population. She pointed out that a structure like the Mackinac Bridge would not typically be situated in such a rural

area, adding to the challenges to fund it.

"We need to decide what our goal is and who we want to help," she told her fellow board members, naming the four counties surrounding the bridge (Mackinac, Chippewa, Cheboygan, and Emmet) as a priority to consider. "I don't understand why Luce County is included. Most of the commerce there is done in Manistique and Marquette. I do think we have a real concern with local people who have gotten a break, regardless of how many times they have crossed. I would like to help them regardless of if they are an industry standard commuter. We need to define that ourselves, and not let statistics tell us what to do."

Many U.P. residents cross often for social, recreational, and medical reasons, Ms. Brown said, and pointed out to board members that from St. Ignace, "if you don't want to cross the bridge, you have to drive about 50 miles north just to see a movie. Did you know that?"

Mr. Gnodtke said there may be someone in southern Luce County, for example, who uses the bridge more than someone in Emmet County in the Petoskey/Charlevoix area.

The four counties surrounding the bridge have "easily by far the highest amount of card use," Mr. Sweeney noted.

Revenue from commuters accounts for 7.3% of total traffic revenue, year to date through the end of November.

"We do have money escrowed [from commuter accounts] and we do gain a little bit of interest on that, but our discount is so deep, almost 50 percent," Mr. Gnodtke said. "Even if you don't use the whole amount on the card, you've gained a savings, perhaps at the expense of the Mackinac Bridge."

Following discussion on the committee level, no decision was reached by the Authority to define commuters by geographical area.

Mackinaw City Village President Ron Wallin asked for consideration of the local population.

"My father was a wheelman on one of the ferries," Mr. Wallin said. "I can understand the reason why folks should get a discount, because it is important that we not have this bridge be an obstacle to going back and forth. Eighty bucks doesn't come easy to a lot of us around here."

He called for an unlimited expiration and a $40 minimum.

"I don't think it is that difficult to give a break when a break is justified," he told the board. "And I don't think it's very difficult for the board to grapple with."

Mr. Gnodtke objected to the use of the word "obstacle" in referring to the Mackinac Bridge.

"I look at the bridge as not an obstacle, but as the answer to the obstacle," Mr. Gnodtke responded. "The obstacle is the Straits."

St. Ignace Mayor Paul Grondin gave an example of a driver from Illinois using a commuter card, and questioned, "Why would anyone need a card outside the four-county area?"

Mr. Gnodtke responded, "We're looking for some equity for us all. You are paying proportionately more than that driver" from Illinois, for costs to maintain and operate the bridge.

"On behalf of the city, I want to talk about the economic impact on our area," said St. Ignace City Manager Eric Dodson, mentioning commerce and access to health care as two concerns. He called for consideration of rolling back the $80 cost, with no expiration date, or a lengthy one. "Please consider the real impact on this local economy."

The Mackinac Straits Hospital Foundation shares the same concern, said Father Jim Williams, who serves on the foundation board as well as Mackinac Island State Park Commission, an agency that he pointed out is also impacted by declining traffic in the area. In addressing Authority members, he was speaking officially for the hospital foundation.

"We are all very concerned about two things," Father Williams said. "The $80 is way too high for the people in the area. And the expiration date is the other. We want the new hospital to serve the Straits area, and this decision" could be a real hindrance.

There is significant concern among local people, he told the board.

'"Roadblock' is mild compared to what the local people are starting to say. We love this bridge. The 50th anniversary bridge celebration [in 2007] was the biggest thing to hit this area. People started to work together," Father Williams said. "The bridge is a marvelous image of what we need to do to come together. If you put on a limit and keep the $80, the bridge is not doing what needs to be done" to unify the community.

"We try to be good stewards and part of the community," Mr. Gnodtke said, pointing out that the Authority chooses to fund the annual Labor Day Bridge Walk even though the state recommended discontinuing it seven years ago. "We're not trying to be punitive in any way... I enjoy a good deal, just like everybody else does. I suppose some people would have wanted $20, $30, or $40" as a minimum deposit.

Authority member Murray Wikol agreed.

"We have been looking at this for some time," he told the group. "It's a user paid bridge, not a free bridge. We will try to put something in place that's fair. This bridge, per mile of suspension bridge, is cheaper than any other bridge in the world."

Amounts higher than $80 were considered by the Authority for the minimum deposit before the current economic downturn, the board pointed out.

Father Williams questioned whether expiration dates could be made retroactive on cards, when the Authority does make that decision. He and other audience members gave several examples of local people hesitant to deposit money on the cards, in case of unexpected forfeiture if the guidelines are changed.

"This is not a revenue grab, let's put it that way," Mr. Gnodtke responded. "This whole thing is not a way to get forfeited money. If we do put an expiration date on it, it will not end up costing people money."

The Authority is researching how it would handle cards, and the unused balances, once they do expire. So far, no cards have reached their end-of-2009 expiration date, and a new decision may be made before that happens. The state attorney general's office is currently reviewing several aspects of the expiration date for the cards, including existing cards, and the Authority is awaiting results of that review.

Mr. Gnodtke spoke of previous abuse of the now-discontinued tokens as the reason the Authority is reevaluating the commuter discount.

"That's what started this whole ball rolling, and it's unfortunate."

On the topic of abuse, Ms. Brown had earlier observed that discontinuing the tokens likely solved that problem.

"By going to all cards, we had hoped the system would cure itself of a lot of abuse, and that seems to be happening," Ms. Brown remarked.

The committee also discussed, but did not act upon, a proposal set forth by the Forest Products Council that would give commercial truckers a sliding discount schedule, including discounts of 7% in 2009 that would rise in increments to 33% in 2014.

Fifty-nine of the 300 commercial

debit accounts now in use would qualify for the proposed discounts, and their impact would be a loss of roughly $500,000 per year to the Bridge Authority, the board learned from staff. The crossing of a large truck is calculated to cost $52.35 in operational and maintenance costs to the bridge, while bringing in $28 in tolls.

"This is their ongoing effort to seek a break," Mr. Gnodtke said. "They've made us aware of what they perceive to be their problems. Our number one goal is to preserve the bridge as a safe, affordable way" to go from one part of the state to another.

The trucking concerns had sent information to the Authority by phone, fax, and e-mail, but did not expect a decision to be the outcome of this month's meeting, Mr. Gnodtke pointed out.

The Fares, Fees, and Classifications Committee is comprised of Mr. Gnodtke, Bob Struck, and Mr. Wikol, and discussed the commuter program Thursday with the full board in attendance, with the exception of Dan Musser III, who was absent. Its recommendation was accepted Friday by the full board.