OBSERVER Photo by Gregory Bacon
From left: County Executive PJ Wendel discusses the next steps for studying the possibility of implementing a boat fee for Chautauqua Lake, as Barton and Loguidice representatives Jayme Breschard and Dave Haney look on.
MAYVILLE — While there are numerous questions that are unanswered, Chautauqua County is taking the first step into exploring whether the county should charge a boat fee for those operating on Chautauqua Lake.
On Tuesday, the county held a boat user fee meeting for the general public. This is the second one they’ve held. The last one took place in April, which was more of a public discussion.
During Tuesday’s meeting, County Executive PJ Wendel said the county has hired Barton and Loguidice to explore the possibility of boat fees. “We’re looking at this as an option,” he said.
Wendel noted this is the first step. They don’t know how much the fees would be, how quickly they would be implemented, how much money they would generate, or even if the state would legally permit boat fees.
At this point, there is no timeline as to when a fee would be implemented. It won’t be in 2024; 2025 seems the earliest possible date.
The next step is for Barton and Loguidice to do case study research and estimate boat user data. That is expected to take another four months. From November to February, the consulting firm will analyze the data and make recommendations. After their final report is ready, a public meeting will take place where they will discuss their findings and recommendations. That meeting is expected sometime in the spring of 2024.
Jayme Breschard with Barton and Loguidice said the first thing they need to explore is if a boat fee is even permitted. “This is a research and information gathering exercise. … A lot of information and research is necessary to understand the feasibility of this. The number one priority is to understand if this is feasible, legally,” she said.
That’s because technically the state of New York owns Chautauqua Lake, not the county. Any fees for boats would require state legislative approval.
Right now, Barton and Loguidice knows of four locations across the country that charge user fees for boaters. Two are in New York state, one is in Illinois and one is in Louisiana.
In New York, the Lake George Park Commission and the Saratoga Lake Protection and Improvement District both have boat fees. Neither are counties.
The Lake George Park Commission charges range from $40-$140, depending on the size of the boat. The Saratoga Lake Protection and Improvement District charges range from $7.50 a day to $75 for the season.
In the Bayou D’Arbonne Lake Watershed District in Louisiana, discounts are given to seniors and veterans. Breschard said these are options that will be explored.
Barton and Loguidice will also try to determine how many boat users operate on Chautauqua Lake and would determine a plan of how the revenues collected would be used.
Breschard said they do not plan on doing a census of boats on the lake, but would make estimations based on various organizations who are already collecting data. One of those is the Chautauqua Lake Association.
According to the CLA, in 2019, 8,844 boats were put in Chautauqua Lake and in 2021, 9,097 boats were in the water. Many of those may be repeat users. In 2020, the numbers skyrocketed with 19,650 boaters. It’s believed that more people were boating because of limited opportunities for other entertainment that year due to the pandemic.
CLA’s numbers include motor boats, personal watercrafts, sailboats, rowboats, kayaks and stand up paddle boards. While Barton and Loguidice is expected to make recommendations on what type of boats would be charged a fee, county officials said previously they weren’t looking to charge kayakers or canoes.
Dave Haney with Barton and Loguidice said another tool they will be using to determine how many boats are used on Chautauqua Lake is boats that are registered with the state. Last year, there were 6,536 registered boats in Chautauqua County. That number does not take into account out-of-county boaters who come to the local area. “Boats are typically registered in the county they are purchased or where the home owner lives in. This wouldn’t account for any out-of-county folks bringing their watercraft into the region,” he said.
Wendel did say if a census is required in the future, they will look into doing one down the road.
Wendel has said that any money that is generated by boat fees would go used for lake maintenance and improvements.
Chautauqua Lake has struggled over the years with both weeds and more recently Harmful Algal Blooms. While the Jefferson Project is looking at causes to the HABs, is isn’t expected to address the weed problem.
Wendel said it’s possible the idea of boat user fees could be a public referendum on the ballot in November, 2024.
During the question portion of the meeting, Wendel was asked how much the county was spending on this study. He said that they had $50,000 remaining that had been earmarked for a study after the Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency disbanded. They’re using that money to fund this study.
Wendel invited residents to email chqlake@chqgov.com with any questions or comments they have. The 1 hour and 13 minute presentation can be viewed in its entirety at chqgov.com/chqlake.