Belleville increases marina fees to be in line with community benefit

September 23, 2024 – Council approves fee increase recommendations

August 8, 2024 – Belleville User Fees Study finds marina fees were lower than similar municipalities and covered less than 30% of its operating and capital costs, leaving the remaining 70% of costs to be funded by property taxes

The 2023 Belleville User Fees Study found that while Belleville’s marina facilities (Meyers Pier and Victoria Park Harbour) are an economic driver, they are expensive to maintain and operate.

Marina fees are heavily subsidized by property taxes

As of 2024, the City is currently recovering about 60% of the operating costs for the marina through user fees but is recovering less than 30% when accounting for both operating and capital costs together.

While there are important tourism considerations at play, users with private boats do not generally belong to a segment of the population that should have user fees heavily subsidized by municipal taxation.

Marina fees are low compared to similar municipalities

Boat ramps are one area where the City of Belleville considerably lags behind its peers. For example, the comparator average for a daily fee is $19 for municipalities similar to Belleville and $12 for regional comparators. But Belleville currently charges just $6. Season pass fees are similarly below comparators by a wide margin. As a result, further study should be completed as to whether these fees should be increased in out-years (2027+) above the recommendations made in this report.

The consultant recommended that marina fees be increased in 2025 and 2026 and that they should be studied in more detail for 2027 and beyond.