Fox Waterway Agency hosts meeting on sticker costs

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McHENRY – If Thursday night’s public hearing crowd is any indication, the Fox Waterway Agency hasn’t quite made its case for increasing boat sticker fees.

The agency hosted the hearing to get feedback on its plans to increase the fees an average of 30 percent for the 2010 season.

It would be the first increase since 1999.

“The 30 percent is too much at this time,” said John Biba, a Cary resident. “I understand that things are going up, ... [but] it’s just too much.”

He was not alone in his opinion. More than a handful of area residents also spoke against the proposal.

“I understand that it’s been a long time, ... [but] the industry is reeling right now,” said Joe DeMar of Holiday Hills. “Let’s take baby steps before we take a giant step.”

Officials anticipate about $460,000 in additional revenue from the increase, which then would fund dredging projects, according to agency documents.

However, John Niefanger of McHenry said he’d like to see specific dredging plans before supporting the increase.

And another audience member said that if the increases were for dredging, they should be based on a boat’s horse power, a main factor in sediment displacement.

The lone voice of support at the hearing was John Welsh, a McHenry boater.

“I understand what everybody is going through, ... but I think the increases have really been minimal over the years,” he said.

The agency has cited receiving Federal Flood Recovery Funds this year as its inspiration for the increase. The federal money was used to remove about 100,000 cubic yards of sediment, and no additional staff members needed to be hired, Agency Executive Director Ingrid Danler has said.

It would cost an estimated $400,000 a year to continue that, which prompted officials to look toward sticker fees, a consistent revenue source.

The increases would vary based on the class of boat. The most common sticker, a Class B for motor powered boats less than 25 feet long with more than 15 horse power, would jump to $80 from $60.

Agency board Chairman Wayne Blake said the hearing, which did not allow for questions from the public, was meant to gauge opinion. He also said the board might consider altering the proposal.

“[The comments] will all be taken and digested,” Blake said. “We’ll kind of put all the pieces on the board and see what we come up with.”

The second of the two public hearings will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at the agency’s headquarters, 45 S. Pistakee Lake Road, Fox Lake.

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