Chain, Fox boaters face fee hike
Fox Waterway Agency officials say they want to continue this year's escalated Chain O' Lakes dredging work, but will need a fee increase to fund it.
The Fox Lake-based agency that governs the Chain is proposing a boost in boat sticker fees of 25 percent to 33 percent depending on boat size. If approved, it would be the first increase in 10 years, officials said.
"It's not to hire more people. It's allowing us to continue the high amount of dredging we did last year (2009)," said Ingrid Danler, the agency's executive director. "The biggest complaint we receive is more dredging needs to be done. This money would ensure that happens."
Public hearings are set for Oct. 22 at the McHenry Government Center, 333 S. Green St., and Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at the FWA headquarters at 45 S. Pistakee Lake Road. A vote will take place after the Nov. 12 hearing.
Most boaters on the Chain use a class B license, and those rates would rise from $60 to $80 annually.
Dredging is the process of scraping dirt and silt from the bottom of lake beds to make those areas deeper and keep lakes from filling in. That helps prevent flooding and boats from being damaged by bottoming out.
If the agency board approves the fee hike, it would add about $400,000 in revenue that would go directly to dredging, Danler said.
The proposed increase is equal to the amount of money the federal government gave the agency in flood recovery funds in 2009. It will ensure the agency is able to remove more than 100,000 cubic yards of sediment annually.
FWA removed 129,000 cubic yards of silt from the Chain through late September in 2009, Danler said. The cost was $500,000, with recovery funds paying most of the bill.
In comparison, the agency dredged 68,000 cubic yards of sediment in 2008, and 17,000 cubic yards in 2007. Danler said the FWA also used some flood money in 2008 to dredge, which boosted the amount removed that year.
If the sticker fee isn't increased, she said, the agency would dredge about 25,000 cubic yards annually.
"So, we either raise sticker prices and continue dredging at the level we did in 2009, or leave sticker prices where they are and dredge at levels we did in 2007," Danler said.
Mike Deron, administrator of FunontheFox.com, said most boaters do not seem opposed to the increase if the money is definitely used on dredging.
"We have recently seen an increase in the amount of time the system has been closed/restricted due to flooding and debris," he said. "If our funding goes toward alleviating those issues, I think every boater could get behind the user fees."