Council amends mooring fee schedule, preserves lower resident rates and raises nonresident minimum

The Newport City Council amended the general fee schedule to adjust annual private mooring rates, adopting changes that keep resident mooring fees lower while increasing nonresident charges.

Councilor Carlin proposed an amendment to hold resident per‑pound mooring charges at $0.63 and shift a portion of the increase to nonresidents. Harbormaster Steve Land testified about the longstanding low cost of city moorings and noted that dockage is substantially more expensive than a city mooring, arguing the mooring fee remains inexpensive as a recreational fee.

Council members debated fairness between residents and nonresidents, the revenue-neutral nature of the change and the effect on long-time mooring holders. The council voted on an initial amendment that passed 4–2. Later a second amendment clarified minimum fee thresholds: resident annual minimum not less than $157.50; nonresident minimum adjusted to $400. The amended ordinance passed on the final vote.

The change will be implemented through the city’s fee schedule and was described as revenue neutral by the council member who proposed the amendment: the total expected receipts were not reduced, but the distribution of costs shifted toward nonresident mooring holders.

Councilors and the harbormaster noted that mooring and dinghy fees had not kept pace with inflation and that the city has not raised some fees for more than a decade.

The council adopted the ordinance amendment during the meeting and the clerk will update the general fee schedule accordingly.