New Northport dock fees bring in more revenue, visitors, officials say

Northport dock revenue more than doubled by mid-October, after fee increases went into effect in May.

The fee change had yielded $21,783 by last Tuesday, compared with $9,743 for all of 2013. Village attorney James Matthews said officials hope to see even more revenue in 2015.

"It's great news for our budget and therefore, it's great news to the taxpayers because it helps reduce the tax burden," said Henry Tobin, village deputy mayor and finance commissioner.

Officials have not decided how to allocate the additional money, but they said the change has increased turnover at the dock and driven more visitors into the village.

"We've had more people come and visit," said village trustee Ian Milligan, who came up with the idea after speaking with fellow boaters. "These are people who come to eat dinner or spend money and go to events in the village."

Under the old system, dock fees started at 8 p.m. and were $2 per foot of the boat's length. Anyone who left before 11 p.m. received a 50 percent refund.

Now, boaters pay a flat $20 fee to dock between 5 and 10 p.m. From 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., boaters pay an overnight fee of $2 per foot.

"Twenty dollars is a reasonable amount of money," Milligan said. "People are happy to pay it because they're more likely to get a spot, and they don't have to rush out at 8 p.m."

In addition to the fees, the village upgraded the electric system last year to higher amperage, which spares more boaters from having to use their generators for power. Next year, Milligan plans to do more outreach to the community to promote the dock and its improvements.