Santa Barbara’s Waterfront Department plans to raise slip fees for boats and parking fees in the harbor lot.
The proposed changes are part of the Waterfront Department’s budget for next fiscal year.
The City Council on Tuesday tentatively agreed to the increases and will finalize the budget next week.
“Everything in this town seems to be going up,” said Billy Eggers, who has a boat in the harbor that he uses for fishing.
The slip fee increase would boost the monthly charge that Eggers and other boat owners pay for their spot.
The cost of the slip fees can change based on the length of the boat. A 20-foot boat is currently $10.97 per foot. A larger vessel, such as a 50-foot space, can pay up to $14.12 per foot.
Under the proposal, fees would rise 10% beginning July 1.
Eggers is an urchin diver and said his income can vary.
“We never know what we’re going to get really when we come back into port,” Eggers said.
In addition to the slip fees, the harbor has decided to increase the cost of parking in the harbor lots.
The increase will see the cost of parking at the waterfront go from $3 an hour to $3.50 an hour. The daily max for the parking lot will jump to $20 from $18.
The slip fee increase is expected to bring in $250,000 in revenue, while the change in parking fees is expected to generate $500,000.
According to Angela Rodriguez, Waterfront Department public information officer, the overhead costs for the harbor have gone up for the past few years.
Things such as insurance, the price of repairs from recent storms, and other factors have contributed to the rising costs needed to operate the harbor.
Rodriguez explained that property insurance for various waterfront properties has jumped during the past few years. The Waterfront Department was paying $400,000 in 2021, but those premiums are now around $1.3 million.
“It’s hard to say what exactly did it, but since the pandemic we noticed that it has gone up,” Rodriguez said.
One of the reasons for the increase, she said, is Stearns Wharf, which is old and made of wood, and puts the city at higher risk of damage and fires.
Stearns Wharf has suffered fire damage a few times in the past.
In 1973, a fire burned down the Harbor Restaurant and forced Stearns Wharf to close for seven years.
In 2009, multiple fires were set in what officials believed was a case of arson. The fires were quickly put out by firefighters.
In addition to the insurance costs, the Waterfront Department incurred costs from the recent storms, and the department is hoping to be reimbursed by FEMA for some of the costs.
“We have a couple things we have the ability to increase and impact the overhead costs, and slip fees are one of those things we can adjust,” Rodriguez said.
Some at the harbor worry about the impact the increases will would on people who rely on the harbor or live in it.
Marisa Brenninkmeyer said she has been around harbors her entire life. Her father owned a boat, and now she owns one with her husband.
She understands that the increase would help pay for utilities and support the cost of paying workers to maintain the harbor but worries about what the increase means for the “working harbor.”
“I think for some people, they’re going to be able to take it, but I think you need to look at the whole scheme of things,” Brenninkmeyer said. “There are quite a few people who their livelihood depends on this harbor, and this will impact them a lot more.”