(Okoboji)– The city of Okoboji continues to move forward with revisions regulating the use of public access docks.
The city council Tuesday evening heard from a committee that’s been tasked with reviewing the existing policy. Councilman Jim Delperdang is among those on the committee. He says some of the more significant changes being recommended include reducing the length of city permits from five years to one year; limiting the size of boats and hoists and revising permit application forms. Those eligible for permits would also need to apply to the city by March 1st of each year. A wait list would also be implemented with limits of one hoist per household, with two PWC’s being the equivalent of one hoist.
Delperdang says the biggest change the committee is proposing is in the cost of public access permits…
“We did a little bit of a survey of surrounding communities and found at that there’s some money that changes hands. It’s not anything near what it would be if they went to a private marina and accessed, had a boat hoist. But the city does create, it does create a lot of work with the city and so I think we’re justified and I think the figure we came up with is $300 per dock and $250 per hoist, both per year.”
The committee will meet again to determine the number of hoists that would be allowed per access under the new system. It will then come back to the full city council before going to the city attorney for the drafting of a revised ordinance for council consideration.
It was the consensus of the council Tuesday evening to put any pending applications on hold in the meantime.
