ORLEANS — It'll cost more in boat fees to cruise in and out of Rock Harbor this summer, but probably not as much as anticipated when rate hike discussions began a few weeks back.
The town was seeking to make operational costs for revenue-generating activities, such as moorings, Nauset and Skaket beaches, the transfer station, the (future) sewer and the harbor, transparent and, hopefully, self-supporting through the use of enterprise funds.
However, having the boat fees account for even just 80% of the harbor's operational costs would've sent per-foot rates for a berth soaring to more than $3,000 on average for recreational boaters, and much higher for nonresidents.