Mooring Fees Increase Bill Overcomes First Hurdle
- Ernice Gilbert
- May 20, 2016
ST. THOMAS -- A bill sponsored by Senator Novelle Francis, Jr., which would increase mooring fees, was successfully voted out of the Committee on Government Services, Consumer and Veterans Affairs at a Thursday hearing in the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall. Bill 31-0333 received favorable votes from six members of the committee and is now headed to the Rules and Judiciary Committee for further vetting. Mr. Francis thanked his colleagues for their support of the bill, which would direct revenue collected from mooring fees to marine enforcement. “I appreciate that my colleagues recognized the critical need to strengthen the Department of Planning and Natural Resources enforcement abilities,” he said. “For more than twenty years, the need for enforcement has grown, while the fees charged that would support these efforts has remained stagnant.” Mooring fees have remained unchanged since 1990 at $5 per foot, regardless of the type of craft or use. But the legislation saw opposition from C...
