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Parks director flags high transaction fees on proposed online camping system; commissioners weigh rate increases and Airbnb for cabins
Summary
Parks staff presented online-camping vendor fee calculations showing per-transaction fees that would increase customer costs for parking and slips; commissioners discussed modest rate increases, using ARPA/contingency for dock/cell projects, and whether to list cabins on Airbnb given staffing limits.
Sherry, the county parks/Marina administrator, presented a spreadsheet showing how an online reservations provider’s transaction fees would raise the effective cost to campers and marina customers for parking and boat slips. She said Firefly/VINTech would charge a per-transaction service fee (reported as roughly $3.50 per transaction) that would raise daily parking fees from $5 to about $8.85 per day for casual fishers, creating concern that the county could lose transient visitors.
Sherry proposed modest rate increases across campground categories — for example, tent sites up $1, cabins up $5 per night, and peak-season rates raised to $75 on certain holidays — and asked the board whether to proceed with online camping only for campsites while keeping boat slips and parking on the VINTech kiosk to avoid per-transaction fees on short-stay visitors.
Commissioners debated whether to list cabins on Airbnb or similar platforms. One commissioner favored Airbnb and said they could hire more cleaning staff and run the cabins as short-term rentals; other commissioners expressed concern about staff capacity, laundering infrastructure and maintaining service standards. The board asked staff to provide comparative costs for (1) online camping with kiosk for parking, (2) online camping for everything including parking and boat slips, and (3) Airbnb listing for cabins along with staffing and laundry cost estimates.
On park capital, Sherry and staff recommended setting aside year-end carryover amounts for the lagoon ($10,000 recommended) and docks, and discussed directing some overage toward special equipment and vehicle replacement. Commissioners asked for a package of suggested rate changes and transfers to consider next week.
What happens next: Parks staff will return with specific vendor pricing options (split out by service), recommended rate-change resolutions, and the proposed year-end transfers for contingency/equipment funds.
