Boaties to pay for using Nelson Quay

Napier City Council

The Napier City Council is about to introduce boat launching fees which could hike the cost for some boaties who previously had the use of their ramp included in the membership of their fishing club.

The introduction of new fees for the former Hawke's Bay Sports Fishing Club ramp off Nelson Quay, Ahuriri, is proposed in a report to be considered by the Napier City Council city development committee on Wednesday.

Three options have been proposed, but the preferred option being recommended to the council promotes a $135-a-year fee for users who are not members of the club, or $100-a-year for club members. Casual users would be charged $15 each time they launch from the ramp, as casuals had been charged by the club in the past.

For members, the $100 fee would come on top of membership of the club, for which the full adult subscription is $120 a year.

Yesterday there appeared, however, to be no howls of protest about the proposed fees, which had otherwise been "just rumours" to the club member, who commented: "There are so few fish in the Bay most of us will probably just pay the casual rate."

Club president Alex Smith confirmed that apart from providing "some figures" to the council the club hadn't been involved in helping set fees.

Told the fees proposal, he said: "I don't know how the membership will take that."

Members of the club are aware of the circumstances which have led to a new ramp fee structure being proposed, the council having agreed in May to buy the ramp from the club which was struggling with debt.

The price was the equivalent of a bank loan and overdraft for which the council was guarantor and councillors were almost unanimously agreed it was necessary to secure a city asset which is on council reserve land.

A report to the council says that while the purchase of the ramp has been purchased from the Hawke's Bay Harbour Board Land Endowment Land Sale Account, meaning there are no debt servicing costs, there will be ongoing expenses estimated at about $20,000 a year, including maintenance of the ramp and erection of a barrier system for the admission of users.

The report estimated about 200 club members and 100 non-members would pay the annual fee, and there would be about 500 casual boat launches a year.

In purchasing the ramp, for significantly less than the club had sought, the council had given an undertaking a discount would be applied for club members.