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Advisory board reviews proposed 5% fee increases, asks staff for revenue and visitation data
Summary
Board members asked staff for multi-year reservation and visitation data and comparable rates after staff proposed a 5% CPI-based fee increase for 2026 and outlined a $5 per-night reservation set-aside for a parks capital improvement fund.
Clallam County Parks staff presented a draft parks fee schedule proposing an across-the-board 5% increase for 2026 and discussed a separate $5 per-night reservation set-aside to build the parks capital improvement fund. The advisory board did not vote on fee changes but requested more data to guide its recommendation.
Why it matters: Fee changes affect visitors and local users, and the advisory board said it needs visitation and revenue trends, and comparisons with peer campgrounds, before endorsing changes during county budget development.
Parks staff said the county uses a Seattle-area CPI index and that a roughly 5% figure appears in staff calculations. Staff noted that prior fee increases took effect in 2024 and 2025 and that the current proposal would cover 2026 rates. Staff also described the $5 set-aside, which applies to reservation nights and first-come/first-served nights that are reserved, and which would be collected per night to support a parks capital fund used to pay for future capital projects.
Board members asked for more granular data. Board member Anna asked for a two- to three-year reservation and visitation horizon rather than a single year to account for anomalies; staff said reservation records are easier to assemble than first-come/first-served counts and that they will provide additional years of reservation revenue and occupancy figures. Staff said they had already compiled a short list of comparable fees at regional campgrounds and would circulate that information.
Board members also discussed equity and structure. One member suggested holding county resident camping rates steady for a year, while applying increases to out-of-county visitors; another asked the board to consider flat-fee approaches for high-dollar group camps rather than a straight percentage increase. The board asked staff to return with visitation, revenue, and management-impact data (including equipment failures or closures) to inform a final recommendation.
What's next: Staff committed to provide additional reservation revenue comparisons, multi-year visitation/reservation summaries, and comps from nearby campgrounds to inform the board's deliberations ahead of the budget cycle.
