By Mike Benbow
Herald Writer
EVERETT — Boat owners beware: The best deal on moorage rates in the central Puget Sound area is about to expire as Port of Everett commissioners consider a possible 30 percent increase for next year.
A hefty increase of some sort is inevitable because rate agreements expire at the end of the year. And port officials said they want to make sure the new rates both reflect the marketplace and bring in enough money to ensure that marina tenants pay enough to cover future dock repairs and improvements.
"We want to reduce any dependency on the property tax," said port director John Mohr. "My specific goal is to have all the business centers at the port be more profitable to move toward" a reduction in taxes."
Port commissioners will take action next week on one of two plans that would set rates through 2007. The first would raise rates about 30 percent next year and be followed by raises of 4 percent annually. The second would level out the rate hikes at about 9 percent a year.
The owner of a 28-foot boat, for example, now pays $3.38 per foot per month for space, or about $1,300 a year, excluding some taxes and fees. Costs could increase nearly $400 to almost $1,700 next year if rates take a 30 percent jump.
Most of the boat owners who spoke at Tuesday’s port commission meeting made it clear that they favor spreading the pain over a number of years.
"I’m concerned about the timing involved here," said boater John Davis. "We’ve had a 40 to 50 percent increase over the past three years. Now we’re looking at another 40 to 50 percent over the next few years. If this goes through, I’m out of here. I can’t afford that."
Barbara Porter of Everett said the port should keep the current recession in mind and temper the increases.
"A lot of people are on fixed incomes, and they lost their reserves after Sept. 11," she said.
After learning that only about a third of the slips at the marina are rented by residents of the port district, several speakers suggested there should be discounts for local boaters. But Mohr said federal expenditures at the port mean that it can’t treat people differently based on where they live.
Port commissioner Don Hopkins, who keeps a boat at the marina, said most people he has spoken to understand the need for an increase but don’t want a big one immediately.
"A lot of people were concerned about the huge increase right off the bat," he said. "I think we could stretch it out and make it a bit easier."
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