A local resident and boat owner is calling on the city to reconsider how it charges for moorage and electricity in its north and south harbour marinas.
At a November 5 City of Powell River council meeting the first three readings to two bylaws, North Harbour Rates and Regulations Bylaw 2432, 2015 and South/Westview Harbour Rates and Regulations Bylaw 2431, 2015, were made by councillors.
Rob Seiler, a retiree that has lived in Powell River for the past two years, made a presentation to council. His boat is moored inside the city’s north harbour.
“This is one of the best marinas I’ve been in, very well kept and maintained,” Seiler told council, “but there seems to be some discrepancies in price I’d like to see changed.”
North Harbour was expanded in 2011 and the updated facility provides 9,500 linear feet of moorage for local recreational vessels ranging in size from 16 to 60 feet.
The South/Westview Harbour was also expanded in 2011 and the new facility is adjacent to the old barge terminal. The original harbour is a Small Craft Harbour owned by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada but operated by the city. Moorage rates were last adjusted in 2013.
Rates for moorage in the North Harbour vary depending on length of boats, but range from $5.40 to $6.75 per foot per month. The proposed increase is roughly three to four per cent.
Rates for the South/Westview Harbour, which are based on temporary moorage, are proposed to be increased by roughly five cents per foot on the daily rate.
Seiler addressed city council and said he thought it would be easier to manage if there was equal pricing across the board.
He explained to the councillors that he has moored his boat at several municipal marinas on Vancouver Island and would prefer to see across-the-board moorage rates.
He added that the price for electricity and how it is charged is another area of concern. He said the way the current system works boaters pay $48 per month or have the option to pay $480 for one year of electricity and are provided two months free of charge on the marina’s 30-amp service. Taxes are added on top. In Comox, boat owners pay $318 per year for electricity and those in Campbell River pay $388.
Seiler said he phoned BC Hydro to inquire if there were different rates being charged by the public utility for marinas, but was told by the electricity company that it was not the case.
The proposed bylaw will raise electrical rates from $480 to $575 per year.
Seiler said he pays as much in his 1,800-square-foot house as he does at the marina.
“As you can imagine, I don’t take showers on my boat. I don’t have a hot water tank on my boat,” he added. What he does have though, he explained, is a 75-watt dehumidifier which he runs non-stop during the winter. “I can assure you that it takes nowhere near $10 worth of electricity. So the city is making about $40 on me every month.”
Others run space heaters and more powerful fans that do consume more power, he said, but the problem is that 30-amp is the only service that’s available.
“Why can’t there be a 15-amp service for half the price for those who have smaller boats and don’t need as much power?” he asked.
According to Director of Infrastructure Tor Birtig’s report on annual moorage rates, Powell River North Harbour still comes in lower than other municipal marinas in the region.
Birtig noted in his reports for both harbours that over the past several years the revenue generated from moorage and electricity has gone to pay for the cost of operating and maintenance.
Birtig estimated that an additional $29,000 will be generated by moorage increases in the North Harbour.
Councillor Jim Palm told council he was not comfortable supporting the electrical increase if it was true that it was significantly more than other marinas in the region.
Both he and councillor CaroleAnn Leishman voted against the first three readings of each bylaw. Mayor Dave Formosa excused himself from discussion and voting, citing a conflict of interest as he owns a marina on Powell Lake.
