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Town discusses raising ferry landing fee; marinas currently account for under $5,000 in collections
Summary
New Shoreham officials discussed increasing the per‑passenger landing fee charged to ferry riders and steps to improve collection from marinas and private boats; town staff said one marina collection yielded under $5,000 and the town is seeking agreements with other marinas.
Lede: New Shoreham town officials told the council on March 12, 2025, that they are considering a modest adjustment to the per‑passenger landing fee charged to ferry passengers to cover inflationary costs for police details, garbage collection and other visitor‑driven services.
Nut graf: Councilors and legislative guests discussed past increases in nearby communities, collection methods for private vessels and marinas, and the need to document town costs to justify any change. Town staff said only one marina currently collects the fee under contract and that collection from that marina produced less than $5,000 in a season.
Body: Amy (town staff) summarized the town’s plans to update collection and enforcement: “It’s a per head collected... it is a very small amount. I don't have the number off the top of my head. It's less than $5,000, from the one that we do collect from.” She said the town will ask two other marinas this season to contract for collection and will tighten enforcement for rental moorings and town docks.
A councilor asked whether private vessel passengers are subject to the fee and how much of total passenger traffic the marinas represent; town staff said the Anchorage and private vessel arrivals are more self‑reported and present the largest compliance gap. Legislators suggested the council prepare a written justification of impacts and expected revenue to support the request in Providence.
Speakers compared local practice with a recent state law used in Newport that imposes a per‑passenger fee on cruise vessel disembarkations. A town official noted that Newport’s statutory fee is $10 per cruise passenger; council members said the landing fee for ferry passengers must be defensible as a cost‑recovery measure tied to tourism impacts.
Ending: The council plans to finalize a proposal on a modest landing‑fee increase and supporting cost documentation before submitting enabling legislation to state lawmakers.
