Meredith to pilot commercial boat launch fee in 2027

MEREDITH — The selectboard approved a new annual commercial boat launch fee of $350 on June 22, part of a pilot program beginning Jan. 1, 2027.

Discussions have been ongoing since November. Police Chief Michael Harper and the selectboard discussed the fee during the June 8 meeting, and he said it was agreed if there were a fee, it would be a process with a permit or approval. That discussion continued at the June 22 meeting with a public hearing.

“I have several towns with examples that have a specific commercial marine operator fee, anywhere between $500 and $1,500 annually,” Harper said.

Other communities with fees are Gilford, Moultonborough, Sunapee, and Wolfeboro, though he said they are generally at a private location. In a previous meeting, he said Portsmouth charges $50 per launch, or $300 for the season.

Selectboard member Jeanie Forrester asked for Harper’s recommendation, and he said he goes “back and forth, but leaned toward sticking in the $500 to $1,500 range.

“When we were working on the parking pilot program, we started at a certain point as a pilot,” Harper said. “This could be a pilot program, right?"

Selectboard member Lynn Leighton thought it should be lower, especially as a new fee. She thought they could find a happy medium, and it is important, as funds would go to repairs for the ramp and infrastructure, due to wear and tear.

Chair Steve Aiken welcomed commercial marine operators to speak during the hearing, and Carolyn Champlain and Brad Champlain spoke on behalf of Champlain Marine.

“I have several questions and concerns about the practicality and fairness of the proposal,” Carolyn said. “First, what exactly constitutes commercial use? Is it a vehicle with company lettering? Is it a commercially-registered truck?”

An example she gave was if a resident who owns a plumbing business truck, lettered with company lettering, decided to launch their personal boat. She wondered how the distinction would be made, and by who.

She asked how the policy would apply to marinas outside of town, and how the town will monitor and enforce use of the launch. If a marina only launches a handful of boats, she asked if they would still be required to pay a fee.

“That seems like a significant cost for limited use,” she said. “If the concern is wear and tear on the launch or facility, I would respectfully suggest that commercial marine operators may actually place less strain on the launch than the average recreational boater.”

Carolyn said marine businesses are experienced, launching boats daily. She added commercial marinas tend to be much quicker than someone launching their boat for personal use.

Carolyn said it is worth asking how many commercial operators would be affected, and off the top of her head, she thinks only a few businesses would qualify. She wondered if a new permit process would be worth it, at no more than $7,500 in annual revenue.

“That seems like a lot of administrative effort for a relatively small return,” Carolyn said. “Additionally, many of these businesses conduct most of their launching activities before the peak summer season.”

She said if the town’s objective is to generate revenue, there would be more effective alternatives, like increasing the non-resident launch rate to $50.

She also asked whether the proposal is due to complaints and concerns from taxpayers, or if there has been any evidence of wear and tear. Carolyn said many communities with commercial launch permit systems restrict use to residents and taxpayers, but Meredith's facility is public. She wondered how this would be regulated consistently.

Selectboard member Mike Pelczar said one of his biggest questions was how many boats are being launched for residents, and Brad said it's hard to say. Some may be taxpayers who own lakefront properties.

“Most of my customers are, in fact, residents of the town,” Brad said. “They do pay taxes here.”

He said his customer base is 40 boats — a relatively small operation — but nobody is really concerned about the fee. It's more about the additional burden.

“Is there a particular issue that marinas, or commercial operators, are doing that is offensive, or generating this conversation?” Brad asked, adding he thinks the proposal is silly.

Forrester said the intention was not to go after anyone, but rather to update fees across the board, as it had not been done in a long time.

She asked about instead charging a fee any time someone launched, and Harper said the $30 fee is for boaters without a taxpayer sticker. This money goes toward funding police cadets, who will help with enforcement.

Jonathan Miller — an employee of 603 Marine who spoke in November about the fees — also asked what defined commercial use.

“Legally, to define commercial use, it’s to make a profit, or intend to make profit,” Miller said. “I know, me, myself, I’m not making a profit launching boats. I’m trying to cover a cost, so I can get customers in and out of the water.”

Pelczar said “several launches” make it a commercial activity. He said while Miller isn’t making money, he would be using the public ramp to launch boats.

Pelczar said it will be a learning curve, and he said while the selectboard makes the policy, enforcement is up police. Miller brought up the three-hour limit at the town docks, and Harper said since they increased boat tickets to $150, they've had nearly 90% compliance.

Harper said cadets will likely enforce this, through a series of three, tiered offenses. Space to asses the fine will be added to the parking tickets the department issues.

Aiken said this wasn’t penny-pinching; it was creating a program versus closing the launch to commercial businesses. The board was looking at all options, he said.

“This is a cost for something that is not available everywhere on the lake,” Aiken said. “Right now, we are pretty lucky, and I think it is a low cost to start helping our infrastructure. Our last numbers were more than a million-dollar range for part of the dock repairs.”

Pelczar made a motion to approve the commercial operator launch fee, at an amount of $350 annually, with a permit approved by the town. Fees will go to the waterfront infrastructure, and he instructed Town Manager Judie Milner to get more information on the repair and maintenance of launches.

“I think it is important to get something to get started,” Pelczar said.

Forrester asked if it would be a pilot, and that was added to the motion. After it was approved, Harper asked for clarification on when it would start. Forrester made a separate motion to begin in 2027, and it passed 5-0.