Skagit County holds public hearing on proposed campground rate increases and new online reservations system

Skagit County Parks staff presented a package of proposed rate increases for campgrounds, day-use sites and cabins and described plans to introduce an online reservation and payment system; the county held a public hearing but took no action and left the comment period open for additional input.

The proposed changes include $5 increases for several site types (including Howard Miller cabins and certain campsite classes), a $10 increase for South Grandy Lake sites, and a $20 increase for some commercial uses. Parks staff said winter rates would rise by $5 at some Grandy Lake sites because staff are seeing more winter stays in self-contained units. Staff also said the county plans to implement a new reservation platform (described in the record as “Kaizen”) that will allow online reservations and on-site payment processing in the coming months.

“So on these rate increases and so forth, what was the process to come up with these new dollar amounts?” Commissioner Wiesen asked during the hearing. Parks staff responded that the amounts were developed internally, guided by frontline staff knowledge of which sites are under the most pressure and which require more staff time once made easier to reserve. Staff said South Grandy Lake and other reservable spaces will likely require more staffing after the reservation system goes live.

Parks staff told the commissioners the proposed schedule was posted in the newspaper on June 5 and June 12 and that current Howard Miller rates remain posted on the Howard Miller webpage. Staff said they would place the new schedule more prominently on the parks website and can provide copies from the parks office on request; they also gave a county office phone number for comments. The public hearing record in the meeting indicated one person was participating online.

No vote was taken at the hearing. A staff member told the room that action on the rates is scheduled for a later meeting and the county will continue to accept comments by phone or office request until then. Commissioners asked staff to ensure the proposed schedule is clearly posted online and to identify a written contact for comments so members of the public who did not attend can participate.

The county did not attach a dollar-total budget or identify specific funding sources tied to the rate changes during the hearing. Staff described the increases as largely administrative and driven by anticipated staffing and service-level needs once reservations are easier to make online.