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New Shoreham council raises nightly mooring and Old Harbor dockage fees; keeps daily mooring rate unchanged
Summary
After Harbors Committee recommendations, the council approved raising the nightly transient and private mooring fee from $55 to $65 and Old Harbor dockage from $4.00 to $4.50 per foot while declining to raise the short‑stay daily rate.
The New Shoreham Town Council voted to raise several harbor charges recommended by the Harbors Committee, increasing the nightly transient and private mooring rental fee from $55 to $65 per boat per night and raising Old Harbor dockage from $4.00 to $4.50 per foot. The council did not approve an increase to the New Harbor daily short‑stay mooring rate.
Kate (Harbors Committee member) presented the committee’s recommendation and said the fee schedule had not been updated since 2021. She said private mooring owners and town transient moorings should have parity and that the suggested $65 rate would still place New Shoreham “at the low end” compared with nearby harbors.
Council discussion focused on whether a higher daily short‑stay rate (the fee for visitors who use a mooring for a few hours) would be burdensome. Several council members said they were uncomfortable raising the daily rate charged for short visits while supporting the overnight and dockage increases. After a motion to adopt the Harbors Committee’s recommendations on the two items and to leave the daily rate unchanged, the council approved the measure by voice vote.
Why it matters: Mooring and dockage fees fund harbor operations and maintenance and are a regular source of revenue for the town’s harbor management program. The changes will affect visiting boaters, private mooring owners who rent nights to transient users, and revenue projections for the harbor budget.
Implementation: Harbors staff and the town clerk will update the fee schedule and notify mooring permit holders and harbor users of the new nightly and dockage rates for the upcoming season.
