Berth rate proposal passes the council!

On January 25, 2000, after a continuation of the public hearing from the previous week, the Berkeley City Council voted to pass the marina fee proposal as submitted by staff.

It's far from perfect - the unpopular and anti-progressive dock box fee remains, and some issues relating to small boat dry storage remain unaddressed.

However, the new rate structure represents a major step forward in rationalizing the marina fees, and will increase marina revenue by approx. $200,000 per year if occupancy remains high. Most importantly, the new rates introduce a progressive rate structure. The smallest berths have gone down in price, while the largest increases have been at the top end.

At the public hearing there wasn't much discussion about the berth rates pe se, but a lot of attention was directed towards old sore points with berthers: condition of the bathrooms, condition and cleanliness of the older docks, and amenities like laundry facilities and mail boxes for live-aboards. The Council seems to expect some improvement in these areas. We'll see.