Natalie Martin contributed to this report.

As lawmakers convene this month in Olympia, they’ll again look to find permanent funding for the state’s troubled ferry system, while new ferries chief Lynne Griffith plunges into reforms that aim to set the ferries on the right course.

With a budget proposal from Gov. Jay Inslee that maintains ferry service levels and freezes fares through 2017, as well as some early administrative changes by Griffith, lawmakers say the session is starting well for ferries. However, they predict that finding sustainable revenue needed by the ferry system will again be a challenge, especially as funding education is a top priority this year.

“First and foremost, we have to deal with the operating budget, funding for families and kids. … But everyone we talk to, businesses and citizens, knows we’ve got to invest in our infrastructure,” said Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-Maury Island).

In recent years as the Washington State Ferries’ budget shortfall has widened, state lawmakers have been unable to find agreement on long-term funding. Instead, the state has opted to supplement the ferries by moving money from other parts of the transportation budget each year. This year the Senate is taking the lead on crafting a transportation package that would include long-term funding for ferries as well as roads and transit.

“I couldn’t predict anything at this moment,” said Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Burien), who represents Vashon, about the funding package. “It really depends on whether the leadership in the Senate is able to get more support from Republicans for tax increases than they have been willing to support in the past.”

Making her debut comments to the Legislature this month, Griffith called the ferry system “a marine culture that is rich with history and tradition,” but critically in need of changes and strong legislative support.

“I want to take the best parts of that culture and move forward in a new direction,” she told the House Transportation Committee on Monday, Jan. 12. Griffith included labor, maintenance and funding gaps as issues that need immediate attention.

“She really does, I think, a good job listening to legislators and to those who use the ferries, and she’s looking at the entire system as far as what changes should be made,” said Nelson, who has met with Griffith twice. “I’ve been very impressed.”

Griffith had no maritime experience prior to signing on with Washington State Ferries last fall, but her many years heading Pierce Transit and Vancouver’s C-TRAN give transportation officials hope that she’s up for the challenge.

“I think she’s going to make a lot of really positive changes,” said House Transportation Chair Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island). “I think her attitude and demeanor is calming some of the chaos of everyone running around trying to get things done. You need to have a calm hand, and we didn’t have a very calm hand during the crossover.”

The crossover Clibborn refers to was the time between former director David Moseley’s retirement last April and Griffith’s appointment. During those five months, WSF was headed by interim director Capt. George Capacci, whose managerial tactics were called into question following a series of cancelled departures and labor conflicts, as well as a complete electrical failure aboard the Tacoma ferry last July.

Capacci was considered a top contender for the permanent ferries chief position. However, after members of the union International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots wrote State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson claiming Capacci pushed an “anti-labor agenda” that harmed morale, Capacci withdrew himself from consideration. The letter urged Peterson to hire former Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg instead, although he was eventually rejected as well. Griffith was hired last September and earns a salary of $144,768 a year.

One of Griffith’s first moves as the ferries chief was to create seven new management positions while requiring four senior staffers to reapply for their positions. Capacci’s current job — the deputy chief of operations and construction — is being eliminated.

“The new WSF management structure allows us to be leaner and flatter,” Griffith said in an email. “The transformation of the leadership does eliminate two deputy chief positions, but Captain Capacci is welcome to apply for any of the new management positions.”

With around 56 percent of deck, maintenance and masters staff being over the age of 55, Griffith also wants to begin training as many new employees as possible to fill the spots retirees are leaving behind.

Making sure new employees are properly trained is important, she noted. Coast Guard regulations prevent a ferry from launching if the specified number of trained staff are not on board. If someone doesn’t show up and no replacement is found, the trip is cancelled, an issue that has plagued the ferry system in recent years.

Another top priority for transportation officials is funding the construction of a fourth 144-car Olympic-class ferry. One Olympic ferry is already on the water, with two more to follow in the next two years. Officials say four new ferries are badly needed to replace aging vessels and should work to prevent cancelled sailings by expanding the state’s fleet — other than weather problems, pulling ferries out for repair and inspection is the largest cause of missed sailings. Having four ferries of one class on the water would also allow for ferry workers to more easily fill in on different boats, as workers receive training specific to each type of ferry.

“A new ferry is a big priority for all of us as far as the ferry caucus is concerned,” Nelson said.

With the ferry system struggling to acquire the funds to get maintenance and construction projects up and running, its success depends on finding a new revenue stream. The state Senate is currently negotiating a transportation package said to include significant increases to ferry funding, and Gov. Jay Inslee’s budget proposal includes a large transportation boost.

The governor’s transportation budget would allocate $890 million to ferry and terminal maintenance, as well as an additional $86 million to replace the terminal buildings at Coleman Dock and Mukilteo, which are considered particularly vulnerable to seismic activity. Another $86 million would also be included if the state decides to construct a fourth Olympic-class vessel.

Inslee has proposed a carbon-emissions tax to fund the ferries, and Nelson said a new gas tax will also be on the table as part of a transportation package, but whether a tax increase would pass the Republican-controlled Senate remains uncertain.

“If you’re raising taxes to pay for education, will you be able to raise the gas tax to pay for transportation that same session?” Clibborn said. “I’m rooting for both, but what might happen is one could be held hostage to the other as part of the politics. I think we have the capacity to do it; I just don’t know if we have the political will.”