ITEM TITLE:
Recommendation to Repeal Resolution No. 26-29 Naming Rates and Fees for Use of Facilities in the Valdez Harbors and Replace with Valdez Harbors Full Legal Rate Schedule
SUBMITTED BY: Sarah Von Bargen, Harbormaster
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: N/A
Unencumbered Balance: N/A
Funding Source: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Ports & Harbor Commission formally recommend that the Valdez City Council adopt the proposed City of Valdez Harbors Full Legal Rate Schedule by resolution and repeal Resolution No. 26-29 formerly Naming Rates and Fees for Use of Facilities in the Valdez Harbors.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
Resolution 26-29 currently establishes the rates and fees for use of facilities within the Valdez Harbors. Staff has completed a comprehensive review of the existing rate structure and developed a proposed replacement schedule intended to improve clarity, consistency, administration, and long-term management of Harbor facilities and services. Many of the adjustments and clarifications contained in the Valdez Harbors Full Legal Rate Schedule are the result of customer feedback received following implementation of Resolution NO. 26-29. Resolution No. 26-29 currently governs Harbor rates and fees and repealed the prior Resolution No. 24-51.
The proposed Full Legal Rate Schedule consolidates Harbor rates, fees, billing rules, operational requirements, enforcement provisions, and Harbormaster authority into one controlling document. It also clarifies moorage calculations, transient billing, upland storage and parking, trailer management, equipment and labor charges, public facility fees, waterfront activity, and miscellaneous fees and fines.
The proposed schedule establishes a standardized annual rate adjustment process beginning in 2027. Reserved and transient moorage rates, with the exception of the 20-foot reserved slip rate, will generally increase by two percent annually. Certain whole-dollar fees will also accrue a two percent annual adjustment but will remain at the current whole-dollar customer rate until the accumulated calculated amount reaches the next rounding threshold. The 20-foot reserved slip rate will remain fixed at $35.00 per foot per year unless separately amended by Council.
The proposed schedule also addresses several operational issues identified through Harbor administration. These include treatment of seine skiffs as part of the parent vessel for moorage purposes, improved management of limited trailer and parking areas, a liveaboard trailer exemption in designated areas, clearer Waterfront Activity Registration requirements for individual fish cleaners, and improved documentation and enforcement standards.
Many existing rates are carried forward from Resolution No. 26-29. The primary purpose of this update is not to broadly increase Harbor fees, but to establish a clearer and more consistently administered rate structure that better reflects Harbor operations and use of limited public facilities.
Following a formal recommendation from the Ports and Harbors Commission, staff will prepare a new City Council resolution for consideration at the next available Council meeting. The new resolution will repeal and replace Resolution No. 26-29 and adopt the proposed Valdez Harbors Full Legal Rate Schedule as the controlling Harbor rate document.
A shorter public rate sheet and an internal staff billing and administration guide will also be maintained as companion documents. These documents will support customer service and consistent staff application but will not replace or supersede the adopted Full Legal Rate Schedule.