View - The Municipality of Lambton Shores

) Should the marina business units be operated under the fully self-funded
philosophy?
If the answer to a) is yes, then any program changes that are implemented will be
included in the annual operating budget for the business unit and will impact the tax
levy. Accordingly, Council will need to review the budget each year to determine if the
costs of the program can be balanced with the desire to maintain acceptable tax rates.
Should Council wish to move towards the fully self-funded philosophy for the business
unit then the costs of any program change considered will further increase the current
operating deficit of the business unit. To achieve self-funded status revenue for the
business unit will need to be increased to offset operating costs, and the options
detailed below can be considered. As noted previously, these options can be
implemented individually or in conjunction with one another.
i. Increase Marina Fees
This includes:
­ Seasonal and transient dockage fees
­ Fuel charges
­ Launch ramp fees
­ Pump out fees
­ Laundry
The challenge with this approach is that the cost of the program changes will still
be fully borne by the municipality and its marina users. An increase in fees may
result a loss of boaters as they may decide to relocate to a marina with lower
fees.
ii.
Consider a Local Benefit Charge or Cost Sharing of Annual Dredging Costs
As noted previously the municipality is not the sole benefactor of the program,
but is the sole funding source for the current the harbour depth maintenance
activities. In both the Grand Bend and Port Franks harbours privately operated
marinas and clubs are located on the river and benefit from the municipality’s
efforts to maintain the navigable channel. Presently, none of these users are
required to, or have offered to, cost share the program expenditures related to
their benefit.
Examples have been provided of other publicly owned marinas that share the
costs of their annual dredging program with private marinas and clubs that are
located within the same harbour. The nearest municipal example is the
Municipality of Bluewater where dredging costs are shared amongst all parties
that occupy the harbour based on their proportionate share of the harbour
(divided into 15 th s).
To increase revenue for the harbour business unit in a self-funded philosophy
Lambton Shores could consider implementing a local benefit charge to all users
of the harbour based on the benefit that they receive from the municipality’s
program. This approach is likely to 110 be met with opposition from those users that