Mooring rental fees in Rockport Harbor are set to rise in the coming year, with the base mooring fee for residents set at $150, up 50 percent or $50 from the previous year; the base fee for non-residents will remain $225. These and other changes to the Harbor Fee Schedule were approved unanimously by members of the Rockport Select Board at its Dec. 13 meeting.

In addition to the increase in the base mooring fee, other changes to the fee schedule include:

*Resident tie-off fees: $225, up $50 from the previous year

*Non-resident tie-offs: $300, up $50 from the previous year

*River dinghy tie-offs: $150 for residents/$225 for non-residents, an increase of $25, each

*Commercial boat operator permits are now $470 or $40 per use, up $170/$10 from their previous cost of $300/$30 per use

“I view this fee schedule as one which is meant to reflect the needs of the current year budget and not the budget I will propose to you in February for Fiscal Year 2023,” said Town Manager Jon Duke. “The FY 23 budget may include some of the capital needs I described at the Capital Plan Budget meeting last month, and until I have more time to look closely at next year’s operating budget, I am unsure the fee schedule presented will adequately cover the additional costs those projects might require. However, those costs could be offset by changes to the Harbor Fee Schedule next year, which is when that revenue would be required to offset the expenditure.”

The changes to the fee schedule were earlier approved by the Harbor Committee, along with an increase to the overnight dockage fee for boats based on their length overall: boats between 50 and 60 feet will be charged $3.50 per foot, an increase of $1, and boats greater than 60 feet will be charged $6 per foot, an increase of $2.50.

Harbormaster Abbie Leonard discussed these increases at the meeting.

“One of the ways to increase revenue and not have as much impact on the taxpayer is the overnight dockage, which we’ve seen a considerable increase in this year, as well,” she said. “That number went up from $3.50/foot for boats 60 feet or larger to $6/foot. So the [Harbor Committee] and myself feel very strongly that that’s an area that impacts residents the least, but will increase revenue the most,” said Leonard.

Select Board member Mark Kelley proposed considering the Marge Jones Recreation Field along Route 90 as an alternative site for additional winter boat storage.

Leonard said that options such as power washing of boats couldn’t be performed on the Marge Jones property, and Selectman Eric Boucher suggested that the remoteness of the location and lack of security could lead to liability issues for the Town.

The rise in harbor fees echo increases made earlier this year to the rental costs of Marine Park, located at the head of Rockport Harbor.

In July the Select Board approved rates proposed by Leonard which raised the price of a daily rental of the park from $600 to $3,000 for Rockport residents, an increase of 400 percent. The fee for non-residents has increased from $900 to $4,800 per day.