This story has been updated with the Docks and Harbors Board supporting the proposed regulatory changes.
An increase in the cost of commercial waterfront vendor permits and keeping uninsured vessels at Juneau’s harbors, plus changes to policies for people delinquent on vessel-related payments, were approved by Juneau’s Docks and Harbors Board during a special meeting Thursday.
The increase in vendor permits is due to inflation, while an increase in uninsured boats sinking that harbor staff have to deal with is responsible for that change, Matt Creswell, harbormaster for the City and Juneau, said in an interview Wednesday.
“If you look at last year’s snowstorm a good number of those vessels were uninsured,” he said. “We’re seeing more and more uninsured vessels sink, and harbors is getting caught with the raising and disposal costs of those boats.”
A total of six proposed changes to existing regulations were on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting. The board, with little discussion and no public testimony, unanimously approved sending the changes to the Juneau Assembly for consideration.
The minimum bid for a downtown waterfront vendor permit would increase to $35,000 instead of $30,000 under one of the proposed changes. Creswell said it’s been about 15 years since the last change, which affects bids for 11 vendor booths available on the downtown dock, although in recent years typically only eight or nine vendors have submitted bids.
“If we had more than 11 applicants we would go to an outcry auction” starting at $35,000 a permit, he said.
The city earned $270,000 from nine permits during the past season, so the increase would result in $45,000, according to Creswell.
Two deer visit the drive-down launch ramp at Statter Harbor in June. (Juneau Harbors photo)
Two regulatory changes for uninsured vessels are being proposed, with the end result being all such vessels not paying a daily moorage rate will pay a $1.50 per-foot surcharge, Creswell said. Assigned stall holders are currently paying a surcharge of 31 cents a foot, while those without assigned stalls who pay on a monthly or longer basis don’t face such surcharges.
“Unless they’re paying the daily rate they will be required to provide proof of insurance to not pay this fee,” he said.
The proposed surcharge is based on the expected cost of dealing with sunken vessels this year, Creswell said. The per-foot amount can be changed in future years if the vessel disposal costs incurred by the city for a given year vary more than 20% from the amount collected from the surcharges.
The total annual revenue from the surcharges at the $1.50 rate is estimated at $148,426.50, according to a report presented to the board at Thursday’s meeting. The report also summarizes the collective reason for all of the proposed changes.
“The purpose is to provide for the orderly administration of vending in the downtown waterfront areas, and to finance the operating, maintenance, and partial replacement costs of the small boat harbors and launch ramps under the ownership of the City and Borough of Juneau,” the report states.
Among the other proposed changes is requiring people who moor a vessel at the Auke Bay loading facility without first getting authorization from the harbor office to pay a full-day moorage fee, whereas current policy allows boats to be moored there for up to two hours without paying the daily fee.
Finally, two other proposed changes involve delinquent payments to the city. One disallows moorage for people with late accounts the city has referred to a collection agency until money due is paid in full.
“Should the person moor their vessel without settling all accounts, the vessel is deemed abandoned and immediately subject to the impound process,” the proposed change states.
The other proposed change states “any person who has been subject to impoundment proceedings or had an account sent to collections in the previous 24 months, shall be required to pre-pay for their moorage.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
