(Spirit Lake)– Hundreds of people attended the Department of Natural Resource’s public hearing on proposed dock fees and regulations Monday in Spirit Lake.
DNR Division Chief Ken Herring tells KUOO news most of the input he and other officials heard was from business owners who feel the fees would cut into their profits.
Mike Hoeppner of Village West Resort and Conference Center is concerned the new rules would put more of a squeeze on public access to the Iowa Great Lakes. He worries the high cost of commercial dock permits would result in some businesses and resorts no longer putting out docks. He also feels the new regulations would cut into the discretion of local DNR officers.
Under the proposed new regulations, individual and multi-family permits would cost 125-dollars for five years. Commercial businesses would pay 250-dollars for a five-year permit.
Businessman Butch Parks says the proposed rules are discriminatory. He says a more equitable approach would be to charge a five dollar fee across-the-board.
Herring says the proposed regulations will be taken up by DNR commissioners at their September 14th meeting. He says any alterations will be brought back for another public meeting in the lakes area.
