Fox Waterway Agency hiking sticker fees

Your cost of owning and operating a boat on the Chain O' Lakes has just gone up.

Fox Waterway Agency directors have approved an increase in sticker fees for watercrafts on the Chain and Fox River starting in the 2010 season.

The average increase is about 30 percent, said Fox Waterway Agency Chairman Wayne Blake. For the owner of the most common boat on the waterway - motor-powered boats less than 25 feet long with more than 15 horse power - the sticker would increase from $60 to $80, Blake said.

Agency directors who met Wednesday night and approved the fees, did not raise rates for boats that fall under a Class X designation. Those boats - without a motor that are less than 17 feet - will pay $10 for a sticker on the Chain.

Officials did increase fees for one-day and 10-day passes for boats longer than 26 feet, and for out-of-state boaters.

"Nobody wanted to increase fees, but we've been able to hold on for 10 years," Blake said. "We were really amazed that we had the support for it that we did. But, I also think people understand we haven't passed any increases onto them for 10 years, despite the cost of everything at the agency going up."

Officials decided to increase fees after they realized how much more dredging could be done if the agency had more money to work with, he said.

After receiving more than $400,000 in federal flood recovery and emergency management funds, the agency dredged about 100,000 cubic yards of sediment from the Chain and the Fox River in 2009. That was most ever dredged by the agency.

Executive Director Ingrid Danler said they could continue dredging 100,000 cubic yards of dirt and muck off the lake bottom if the sticker fees were increased to add revenue.

The fee will be reflected when boaters receive their sticker renewal after the first of the year.