The Town Board will again take up a proposed $40 fee on residents who moor their boats in Huntington waters at its next meeting on June 18.
The fee proposal, along with an insurance requirement, brought opposition from some boaters at last week’s public hearing.
The town said the fee would help pay for cleanup of the harbor and the removal of wrecked or abandoned boats.
Maritime director Dom Spada said the fee was needed because of the increased use of the harbor and costs of maintaining the waters safely, as well as a database of boaters using Huntington facilities.
A bay constable recently likened the harbor to a busy highway.
Councilman Mark Cuthbertson again expressed concerns about whether the Greater Huntington Yacht & Boating Clubs had had sufficient time to examine the impact of the fee and, as he had done previously, termed the fee “a money grab.”
The boating council wants assurances that the mooring fee will be linked to the beach permit price. Boaters also want to be sure that the fees will be devoted to maritime use.
The Town Board meets next at 7 p.m. on June 18.