Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#11
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]() "user" wrote in message In that perspective, it does seem excessive. I suspect someone sees this as a cash cow for the town (which it may not be) plus summer/weekend jobs for someone's kids. I'm still not certain what I'll write or say, but I believe this needs to be significantly revised before they vote on it. Fee systems usually come about as a result of some community operating commitee or board.. It is seldom that these things happen without an opportunity for community input or objections.. Once they are in place the revenue is budgeted and it is much more difficult and complicated to eliminate or modify a fee or use tax. If you want to have a user fee removed, be prepared to offer suggestions on where else this revenue could come from.. My recommendation is to follow all local proceedings with an eye towards objecting to any new fees or increases to existing fees.. On any election day, my moto is not "I Voted", rather "I Voted No".. I vote NO on everything.. The public service, fees and taxes were just fine at the time I retired 8 years ago and I don't need an increase in anything.. Steve s/v Good Intentions |
#12
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 09:24:43 -0800, "Steve" wrote:
"user" wrote in message In that perspective, it does seem excessive. I suspect someone sees this as a cash cow for the town (which it may not be) plus summer/weekend jobs for someone's kids. I'm still not certain what I'll write or say, but I believe this needs to be significantly revised before they vote on it. Fee systems usually come about as a result of some community operating commitee or board.. It is seldom that these things happen without an opportunity for community input or objections.. Once they are in place the revenue is budgeted and it is much more difficult and complicated to eliminate or modify a fee or use tax. If you want to have a user fee removed, be prepared to offer suggestions on where else this revenue could come from.. My recommendation is to follow all local proceedings with an eye towards objecting to any new fees or increases to existing fees.. On any election day, my moto is not "I Voted", rather "I Voted No".. I vote NO on everything.. The public service, fees and taxes were just fine at the time I retired 8 years ago and I don't need an increase in anything.. Steve s/v Good Intentions I agree. What happens is towns figure "boat people have a lot of money, so lets go get some from them." It sucks. John C. |
#13
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
I agree. What happens is towns figure "boat people have a lot of
money, so lets go get some from them." It sucks. John C. If the money goes into a dedicated fund to maintain/improve the boat ramp and associated parking lot, it's hard to see what the beef would be----but that's a huge "if". In WA, every gallon of gasoline sold is subject to a large tax to maintain state highways. I believe the tax is now almost 30-cents a gallon, so every time a driver burns 20 gallons of gas in his car he's contributing $6 toward highway maintenance. Doesn't seem all that far out of line- the roads aren't paved and maintained by magic. When the law was put in, years ago, the legislature acknowledged that not all gaoline is used by vehicles driving on a highway. Boaters are allowed to keep track of their gasoline purchases, and individually file for a refund of the gas tax each year. Of course, the paperwork is a hassle, a lot of boaters only pay $15-20 in tax, and so most people don't file for the refund. The unrefunded portion is *supposed* to go to improving boat ramps and other boating-oriented uses. Ha! The state capped the refund at 19-cents when they raised the tax beyond that point. That's almost understandable, since the majority of boats that burn gasoline are traveling down the road on a trailer for a lot more miles than they are travelling across the water.However, in most years the money allocated for boating infrastructure gets raided for other uses. What would seem to be a reasonable idea gets screwed up by greedy politicians. Conservatives should be applauding user fees for boat ramps, trailer parking, etc. This places the financial burden squarely on the shoulders of the people benefitting from the service, rather than the taxpayers at large. :-) |
#14
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]() "Gould 0738" wrote in message ... I agree. What happens is towns figure "boat people have a lot of money, so lets go get some from them." It sucks. John C. If the money goes into a dedicated fund to maintain/improve the boat ramp and associated parking lot, it's hard to see what the beef would be----but that's a huge "if". In WA, every gallon of gasoline sold is subject to a large tax to maintain state highways. I believe the tax is now almost 30-cents a gallon, so every time a driver burns 20 gallons of gas in his car he's contributing $6 toward highway maintenance. Doesn't seem all that far out of line- the roads aren't paved and maintained by magic. When the law was put in, years ago, the legislature acknowledged that not all gaoline is used by vehicles driving on a highway. Boaters are allowed to keep track of their gasoline purchases, and individually file for a refund of the gas tax each year. Of course, the paperwork is a hassle, a lot of boaters only pay $15-20 in tax, and so most people don't file for the refund. The unrefunded portion is *supposed* to go to improving boat ramps and other boating-oriented uses. Ha! The state capped the refund at 19-cents when they raised the tax beyond that point. That's almost understandable, since the majority of boats that burn gasoline are traveling down the road on a trailer for a lot more miles than they are travelling across the water.However, in most years the money allocated for boating infrastructure gets raided for other uses. What would seem to be a reasonable idea gets screwed up by greedy politicians. Conservatives should be applauding user fees for boat ramps, trailer parking, etc. This places the financial burden squarely on the shoulders of the people benefitting from the service, rather than the taxpayers at large. :-) The problem us fiscal conservatives have with the fees, is the usage. California has (had) $35 billion + in the highway fund. Now we can not get any highway improvements as there is no money in the state budget available. Seems as if the Former Governor Gumby and his Legislature borrowed all the money for the general fund. Reduced the deficit we saw. But still $35 Billion in money that has been stolen. |
#15
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
Tax, tax, tax. Didn't you pay some already?
"user" wrote in message ... My town's last board meeting discussed parking fees for the currently free, public boat launch. There is parking for about 60 trucks and trailers. It is always full and often people don't park properly making it hard to park or leave. The proposal was a $5 fee for the vehicle per day. Single axle trailers less than 20' long another $5. Double axle trailers or single axle trailers over 20' long, $7.50. The estimate of revenue is $2,000 per week May-October and $1,000 per weekend mid-March-April and November. The parking would be free those week days. December-early March would be free, but doubtful anyone would be there. The argument I agree with is there needs to be more order in the current parking situation. I suppose the fees charged will easily cover the cost of a parking attendant. While it wasn't mentioned, I'd like to see the leftover money going to improvements in the lakefront area, rather than lost in the overall budget. I do think the fees are excessive however. Certainly some people will not come to our town to eat, shop or buy gas because they will find another free parking lot within 10 miles on the same lake. Do any of you pay to park or launch at your public boat launch. If you didn't now, would you consider these fees excessive? Is there a difference for residents vs. non-residents? I plan on writing the town board voicing my opinions, but would like to know about other peoples opinions first. Thanks. |
#16
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
FWIW, at the Breakwater launch ramp in Monterey, it's $8/day for a single
vehicle, $12/day for tow vehicle and trailer, 9:00 a.m. till sometime at night. You can also pay by the hour. ($1.50/hour single, I think, I always get the all-day). TVs & trailers only in most of the lot till noon. No charge to launch. There's a machine that takes credit cards or cash. What are their enforcement costs going to be? Monterey has several meter "maids" (one looks like an NFL lineman) in Cushman three-wheelers. And that "over 20" rule is going to be a pain to enforce. -- Chuck Tribolet http://www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/people/triblet Silicon Valley: STILL the best day job in the world. "user" wrote in message ... My town's last board meeting discussed parking fees for the currently free, public boat launch. There is parking for about 60 trucks and trailers. It is always full and often people don't park properly making it hard to park or leave. The proposal was a $5 fee for the vehicle per day. Single axle trailers less than 20' long another $5. Double axle trailers or single axle trailers over 20' long, $7.50. The estimate of revenue is $2,000 per week May-October and $1,000 per weekend mid-March-April and November. The parking would be free those week days. December-early March would be free, but doubtful anyone would be there. The argument I agree with is there needs to be more order in the current parking situation. I suppose the fees charged will easily cover the cost of a parking attendant. While it wasn't mentioned, I'd like to see the leftover money going to improvements in the lakefront area, rather than lost in the overall budget. I do think the fees are excessive however. Certainly some people will not come to our town to eat, shop or buy gas because they will find another free parking lot within 10 miles on the same lake. Do any of you pay to park or launch at your public boat launch. If you didn't now, would you consider these fees excessive? Is there a difference for residents vs. non-residents? I plan on writing the town board voicing my opinions, but would like to know about other peoples opinions first. Thanks. |
#17
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Wed, 26 Nov 2003 17:20:24 +0000, user wrote:
My town's last board meeting discussed parking fees for the currently free, public boat launch. There is parking for about 60 trucks and trailers. It is always full and often people don't park properly making it hard to park or leave. The proposal was a $5 fee for the vehicle per day. Single axle trailers less than 20' long another $5. Double axle trailers or single axle trailers over 20' long, $7.50. The estimate of revenue is $2,000 per week May-October and $1,000 per weekend mid-March-April and November. The parking would be free those week days. December-early March would be free, but doubtful anyone would be there. The argument I agree with is there needs to be more order in the current parking situation. SNIP Here in Canada, most ramps charge for parking rather than "launching". Most have machines where you get your parking ticket, and I assume a "metermaid" kinda person to check the tickets. A few have "attendants" that also help "traffic control" at the ramp, sell bait, tackle, ice cream, etc. and usually have Good Advice about fishing. You can tell them where you're going if you're going over a day and they will inform the CG if your vehicle is still there after you're supposed to be back. Provincial Parks (where a lot of ramps are) have recently started charging for parking, and there's quite an underground "economy" where people leaving will give their parking tickets to those arriving. After all, we've already paid for the park: why should we pay for parking? Has it helped the "chaos" of the parking area? Not that I've noticed. I think a SINGLE parking fee is the best, using a machine. Easy to set up, easy to monitor. The "Attendant" can be nice but not necessary, and the complex system you're proposing sounds way too hard to set up and monitor! BTW: Parking-machine ramps are usually $3-7, and ones with attendants are around $10-15 (CDN) Lloyd |
#18
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
Marina Del Rey is $2 for a single vehicle and $5 for boat and trailer.
Machine and gate takes cash or credit card. "Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message ... On Wed, 26 Nov 2003 17:20:24 +0000, user wrote: My town's last board meeting discussed parking fees for the currently free, public boat launch. There is parking for about 60 trucks and trailers. It is always full and often people don't park properly making it hard to park or leave. The proposal was a $5 fee for the vehicle per day. Single axle trailers less than 20' long another $5. Double axle trailers or single axle trailers over 20' long, $7.50. The estimate of revenue is $2,000 per week May-October and $1,000 per weekend mid-March-April and November. The parking would be free those week days. December-early March would be free, but doubtful anyone would be there. The argument I agree with is there needs to be more order in the current parking situation. SNIP Here in Canada, most ramps charge for parking rather than "launching". Most have machines where you get your parking ticket, and I assume a "metermaid" kinda person to check the tickets. A few have "attendants" that also help "traffic control" at the ramp, sell bait, tackle, ice cream, etc. and usually have Good Advice about fishing. You can tell them where you're going if you're going over a day and they will inform the CG if your vehicle is still there after you're supposed to be back. Provincial Parks (where a lot of ramps are) have recently started charging for parking, and there's quite an underground "economy" where people leaving will give their parking tickets to those arriving. After all, we've already paid for the park: why should we pay for parking? Has it helped the "chaos" of the parking area? Not that I've noticed. I think a SINGLE parking fee is the best, using a machine. Easy to set up, easy to monitor. The "Attendant" can be nice but not necessary, and the complex system you're proposing sounds way too hard to set up and monitor! BTW: Parking-machine ramps are usually $3-7, and ones with attendants are around $10-15 (CDN) Lloyd |