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Essex County introduces 2026 parks fee increases, board approves ordinance for first reading

Essex County Board of County Commissioners · January 14, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

County parks director presented modest 2026 fee increases across golf courses, Turtle Back Zoo, parking and permit tiers that the board approved for introduction and first reading; the changes are expected to generate roughly $1 million in revenue and add nonprofit/for-profit permit rates.

Essex County officials moved forward with proposed fee changes for county parks on the board’s agenda, approving an ordinance for introduction and first reading after a public presentation.

Joshua Zates, who identified himself as a County Parks official, told commissioners the 2026 package would raise fees across archival programs, the Cody Arena, environmental center, golf courses, the county parking deck and Turtle Back Zoo. Zates said the board can expect about $1,000,000 in additional revenue from the proposed changes and described specific adjustments: a $5 increase across the county golf…

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