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Town hall explores boat‑ramp fees, resident passes and options to fund marina slips
Summary
A wide-ranging public discussion covered user fees for boat ramps, resident pass concepts, grant matches, marina financing and options to accelerate construction of wet slips; staff and commissioners agreed to study resident passes and to ask potential partners about funding options.
Citizens and commissioners spent significant time at the town hall debating whether Panama City should charge for boat-ramps and marinas, how to prioritize marina upgrades, and who should pay for slips and maintenance.
Several speakers urged creation of a resident-launch pass and pay-per-use system for city-owned ramps. Kenny Bostick, who grew up in the city, said local residents effectively subsidize free public launches used by out-of-county visitors and proposed a tiered system: an annual Panama City resident pass plus pay‑as‑you‑launch fees for non‑residents. ‘‘We should charge $20 just like Saint Joe, Mexico Beach. If you’re not a Bay County resident, you would have to pay it,’’ Bostick said, noting that other local governments use user fees to fund…
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