Boaters who use the launch at Port Moody’s Rocky Point Park might want to brace themselves for a big hit to their wallets.
A staff report to be presented to council’s finance committee on Tuesday (July 18) says fees will have to increase by 60 per cent next year if the city is to recover all of its costs for operating and maintaining the facility from the people who use it.
Fees for subsequent years through 2027 would go up another five to 13 per cent.
That means a boater from out of town could be paying $500 next year for an annual pass to launch their craft from Rocky Point Park and park in the adjacent parking lot while Port Moody residents would be charged $285.
Currently, non-residents pay $311.80 annually while residents are charged $177.75 for a yearly pass.
The cost for day passes would also increase from $25 to $40 next year and then go up by $5 increments to $55 by 2027.
Commercial users of the ramp would see their annual fees rise to $850 from the current $539.30.
According to the report authored by Tyson Ganske, Port Moody’s deputy chief financial officer and manager of financial planning, the fee increases would generate $194,240 in revenue for the city next year — jumping to $251,375 by 2027.
In 2021, the city earned $109,000 from launch fees.
The review of fees charged to boaters to use the only public launch along Burrard Inlet’s southern shore was sparked by a massive increase in costs to the city to dredge the navigation channel that allows craft to sail from the ramp into the Inlet, as well as prevent damage to the adjacent dock and pier.
This year, the work cost $750,000 — triple the amount originally budgeted — because industrial pollutants detected in the sediment to be removed meant it couldn’t just be dumped in deeper water and had to be transported to specialized facilities.
The dredging needs to be done every five or six years.
Ganske said the new fees would be reviewed by staff annually.
He also said if the new funding model is approved by council, a previous mutual cooperation agreement made in 1984 that allows Burnaby residents to pay the same as Port Moody boaters when using the launch would have to be rescinded.
On July 11, council approved price increases of three per cent for most of its recreational services.
But it reserved its decision on boat launch fees until the staff report was completed.
