Wells approves revised harbor fee schedule, including $15 launch fee

The Wells Select Board on Tuesday approved a set of revised harbor fees following a public hearing led by Harbor Master Michael York.

York told the board the harbor and harbor board had reviewed fees since the dredge and proposed modest increases intended to align Wells with neighboring communities while funding harbor operations. "We're recommending a $15 launch fee," York said, adding that moorings and slip fees were set after surveying surrounding towns.

The recommendation listed private moorings at $175 per year (with an option discussed to raise to $200), moorings at $30 per foot (York said he would not go above $32), floating docks at $40 per foot (recommendation not to exceed $45), and slips at $55 per foot. York also proposed a pay-by-plate launch system and a customer-service representative funded by launch revenues to monitor compliance.

Board members asked detailed questions during the hearing about the difference between slip and floating-dock fees and the operational implications of adding a launch charge. The board then closed the public hearing and voted to accept the recommendations; the motion recorded a unanimous vote of 5–0 in favor.

The harbor fee changes take effect under the town's usual ordinance-adoption procedures; the board did not attach additional study or delay conditions to the vote. The hearing record shows the board intends to implement a pay-by-plate system for launch enforcement and to revisit specifics (for example, whether to raise some private mooring fees) as operations proceed.

York's presentation and the board's recorded motion conclude the harbor fee item; implementation details such as the roll-out timeline for pay-by-plate and any administrative regulations were not specified in the hearing record.