| September 30, 2009
Commerical operations in Alabama, like the Port of Decatur in Decatur, Alabama on the Tennessee River have tough competition for water access from developers, especially on the Gulf Coast.
A Waterfront Access Study Committee is proposing a 20% increase to recreational boater registrations to fund initiatives to help commercial operations. Opposition is coming from the Alabama Marine Police and other groups.
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Public hearings will be held as follows:
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - Calhoun Community College, Decatur, Alabama,
6-8 pm
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - Montgomery, Alabama, 6-8 pm, location TBA
Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Mobile, Alabama, 6-8 pm, location TBA
Cline Jones, Director for the Tennessee River Valley Association comments to LIFE ON THE WATER Magazine:
This is a recommendation from the
Alabama Waterfront Access Study Committee (on which) Hinton Mitchem appointed me to be
a representative from North Alabama. The objective is to create a fund to
purchase property primarily on the Gulf Coast to remedy the loss of working
waterfronts that is being lost to development. Family shipbuilding, fish
processing and commercial marinas are under pressure for land use/access and the
objective is to recommend to the legislature remedies for that loss. Property
tax increases/incentives is the way many states have dealt with this issue, however,
in Alabama you can double the property tax as an incentive and still have some
of the lowest rates in the country. In our meetings we had discussed increases
in boater user fees and increases in fishing licenses but never discussed the
rates at which the increases would require. This (proposed) 20% increase on just boaters
stunned me when I read the Committee Recommendations. We will hold a public
comment opportunity at Calhoun on Oct 13 prior to submission to the legislature
and I hope you and other concerned citizens will ask; where is the benefit to
recreational boaters; and where and who will benefit from the $1.2M revenues
generated from this 20% increase. Boaters can express their concerns.
Attached is the
committee's draft proposal to be discussed in public forums. Your opinion would
be appreciated.
click here for draft proposal
Cline Jones
Executive Director
Tennessee River Valley
Association
256-355-4660 Office
256-394-3433 Cell
256-351-8257
Fax