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Anoka County adopts tiered fees to allow private rentals at Bunker Beach
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Summary
The Anoka County Board on April 28 approved resolution 2026-33, creating a three-tier fee structure to permit private-group rentals at Bunker Beach. Parks director Jeff Perry said Tier 1 (up to 1,000 guests) will be allowed Wednesday mornings, 9–11 a.m., at $2,500; organizers must clear the facility for public opening.
The Anoka County Board of Commissioners voted April 28 to adopt a new fee schedule that allows private groups to rent portions of Bunker Beach under a three-tier pricing system. The measure, adopted as resolution 2026-33, sets rules for timing, staffing and charges for special events at the county water park.
Corey Camp, the county’s chief financial officer, told the board the three-tier framework was developed after inquiries from private groups and conversations within Parks. “We put in a place a 3 kinda tier system, you know, that depending on the size of the group that they could rent the park or a portion of the park, for a certain dollar amount,” Camp said, explaining the fee structure is intended to cover staffing and operational costs.
Jeff Perry, Anoka County’s parks director, described the practical limits and staffing rationale. He said organizers will be offered a narrow window — Wednesday mornings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — so rentals do not interfere with general public use. For Tier 1 events, which Perry said would include the water park’s main attractions and up to 1,000 guests, the county set a fee of $2,500. Perry said the fee tiers are based on the number of staff required to safely monitor the facilities and implement the event.
Perry also described the operational rule for the reserved window: groups must clear the water park at the end of their reserved slot so county staff can prepare for the water-park opening at 11:30 a.m. If guests leave and later seek reentry, they would need to pay regular admission to reenter. With no written or in-person public comments submitted during the three calls for public testimony, the board proceeded to a roll-call vote and adopted resolution 2026-33.
The resolution updates fees for a range of county services in addition to establishing the Bunker Beach rental tiers; the county attorney confirmed notice of the public hearing was published in the Anoka County Union as required by statute. The board’s action allows the parks department to post the new policy and begin accepting reservation requests under the new framework.
The resolution passed in a unanimous roll-call vote. The parks department said the fee framework is intended to recover the county’s incremental costs for staffing and supervision and to provide a predictable, equitable pricing approach for large group rentals.
