County Seeks Boost in Fees Charged at Recreation Areas

The county Environmental Management Agency has proposed an increase in several of its fees, including overnight camping, to make operations self-sustaining.

The increases in camping and recreational area fees would be implemented over the next year. Camping for an individual, for example, is $7 a night. It would be raised to $8.50 per night in January, 1988, and to $10 per night in January, 1989.

Daytime parking at county parks is now $1.25. It would go up to $1.50 next month and $2 in January, 1989.

County officials say the fees in several EMA divisions are covering only about 75% of the operational costs. As a result, the agency had to find about $760,000 last year to make up the difference.

In addition to the camping and parking fees, the proposed increases include fees for boat moorings and the use of county property by private citizens, such as movie companies on location.

The fee increases are scheduled to be considered by the Board of Supervisors at its meeting on Tuesday.

The board recently approved an increase in the fees for developers seeking land-use permits such as a variance or building approvals in unincorporated areas of the county.

“By having user fees, it increases what we can provide in recreational uses, in roads and in flood control,” said Charles Hulem, chief of financial and strategic planning for EMA. Those are the areas that were tapped last year to make up the difference between the revenues and the cost of the operations, he said.

Most of the areas have not had fees increased since 1983, Hulem said. The increases were recommended after a scheduled review of the programs.

Hulem said he did not expect the increases to have an impact on the number of campground users or developer applications, based on the results of increases in 1983.

County officials said the increase will raise about $153,000 in additional revenue next year and $327,000 in the second year.

The increase in fees for permits to use county property are scheduled to generate about $270,000. In addition to movie company locations, the fees will apply to shellfish harvesting on county property, use of county roads to transport oversized vehicles, use of county flood control channels to drain surface water and road closures.