Chatham Enacting a New Waterways User Fee

sk_chatham-fishing-on-the-stranglehold_-10-12-16-165CHATHAM – Beginning soon, Chatham will be implementing a waterways user fee that will supplement the funding of a number of infrastructure projects.

The town is faced with millions of dollars of water-related infrastructure improvements and the funding of the upgrades will be paid through property taxes.

“We’ve purchased some waterfront property in recent years, we’ve been improving them and this is meant to ask the boaters to help augment some of those expenses,” said Chatham Harbormaster Stuart Smith.

Resident taxpayers will pay $50 per year while non-residents will pay $150 annually, with it expected to generate up to $175,000 per year.

Canoe users and kayakers will be exempt from the fee and residents and taxpayers whose vessels qualify as commercial and who own more than two boats will only pay for the first two.

“There’s quite a few of those watercraft but policing that sort of thing and enforcing is kind of difficult so we decided to exempt those at the moment,” said Smith.

Commercial boat owners who are not residents will pay the fee for all of their vessels.

By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter

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