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WEST MILFORD - Mayor breaks tie and votes for Greenwood Lake fee
(by David M. Zimmer - Staff Writer - September 17, 2008)
WEST MILFORD - Mayor Bettina Bieri made the deciding vote on a township resolution supporting a boat fee for Greenwood Lake this past Wednesday, as the council could not come up with a majority decision.
The Township Council voted 3-to-3 on a resolution supporting the boat fee legislation for Greenwood Lake, causing Mayor Bieri to cast a rare vote, in support of an amended version of assembly bill A2649.
The new version of the resolution coincides with the amended bill, which will be limited to a permit process for boats only that includes an average fee of $30 a year.
Bieri said she voted to support Greenwood Lake, township recreation and tourism by backing the Greenwood Lake Commission’s plan for a boat fee. She said that instead of increasing taxes, those who use the lake should pay $37.50 a year to maintain and preserve the lake for fishing and boating.
“I believe that people that utilize recreation facilities should be the ones paying for it,” Bieri said. “I don’t feel that we should increase taxes to the entire township when there is a limited number of people that do indeed benefit from Greenwood Lake.”
Since half of the boats on the lake are from New York, but most of the work on the lake will be done in the New Jersey end, the West Milford boaters and lakefront homeowners will get more for their money, Bieri added.
Council members Carmelo Scangarello, Marilyn Lichtenberg and Salvatore Schimmenti all voted against the resolution supporting a boat fee. Schimmenti said the plan would detract from the already-lacking presence of recreation in the township, while Scangarello said a more thorough examination of public opinion in and around Greenwood Lake was necessary before he could approve a fee for local boaters.
Township Council candidate James Warden said council members should take action to help save the lake, and was critical of them for not supporting the Greenwood Lake Commission and the boat fee funding it needs to revive the dying lake.
Councilman Philip Weisbecker Jr. said he had concerns that the southern end of the lake is filling in, and that this small fee will help sustain the lake.
“As long as it works to better the lake or the commission, it is worth it,” Weisbecker said.
Greenwood Lake Commission member Eric Hastings said the funding is the last step before the complicated process of restoring the lake can begin.
“We have a tool box and we have an agenda to clean up Greenwood Lake,” Hastings said.
Steve Feigel, the northeast manager of the American Bass Anglers Association, said the amended version of the user fee legislation is unfair to boaters, and the dock fees should be included as in the original version.
Feigel, who represents more than 600 fishermen in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, said the marinas need the lake for their livelihood and will benefit the most from the commission’s plans to revitalize the lake. He added that putting the emphasis on the boaters will cause the lake to lose recreational boaters and fishing tournaments.
Feigel recommended either placing a ramp in Brown’s Point recreation area to generate revenue from tourists and local fishermen instead of enacting a boat fee, or simply adding an appropriate dock fee back into the legislation.
Paul Zarillo, a Greenwood Lake commissioner representing the township, said the dock fees are not necessary, as the lakefront property owners pay extremely high taxes, some going to help preserve the lake.
Hastings added that the marina owners have contributed their time, money and effort, in addition to their high taxes. Moosehead Marine and Greenwood Small Craft Marina were instrumental in obtaining a free weed harvester and removing stumps during a lake maintenance project a few years ago, he said.
Hastings added that the commission is more than happy to have fishing tournaments at the lake and said a $7.50 day-permit was designed to keep fishermen, as well as recreational boaters, coming to Greenwood Lake.
The council resolution comes as a result of the bi-state commission’s request for council support on the matter pending in the state legislature. If the bill charging boats for lake use were to pass in Trenton, it would then be introduced in Albany.
If the boat-fee bill gains approval from both legislatures, the Greenwood Lake Commission would be legally able to establish a permit process that will include fees for vessels only on Greenwood Lake.
One-day passes for boats will be $7.50, while one-week passes will cost $11.25. Annual permits for vessels with 10 or more horsepower that are 20 feet or less in length will require an annual fee of $30, while any craft up to 25 feet will cost $37.50 yearly.
Any vessel more than 25 feet will be charged an additional $7.50 per foot, however if that boat is fitted for overnight use, each added foot will come with a $30 yearly charge. According to the bill, there may also be an additional fee to cover the cost of the permit application process.
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