5/12/1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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20% from Indian River County, and emphasized that the percentage of use of the park by the people living within the inlet taxing district is very low, somewhere in the neighborhood of 20. Commissioner Bird pointed out that if fees were charged on the north side, people still have the option of using the south side for free, even though more improvements are available on the north side. At Least they would have that option, and he would be the first one to argue the point if the State wanted to start charging a fee on the south side. Commissioner Wheeler understood that the Inlet Taxing District was originally set up to maintain the inlet for navigational purposes only, and Mr. Ryon confirmed that the Sebastian Inlet Taxing District is not in the fishing or recreational business; however, when they built the jetty, it seemed that they were immediately in the fishing business. In fact, they have several lawsuits pending against them, any one of which could put them completely out of business. Mr. Ryon expressed his surprise that Indian River County is not willing to take a stand on this issue one way or another, and again asked the Board for their support in opposing a fee on the north side of the inlet. Commissioner Bird felt that if this were an isolated case, he would agree with Mr. Ryon, but he has a difficult time opposing a nominal fee on the north side when the State is consistently charging fees at other parks. In addition, he pointed out that Indian River County is leaning toward user fees in many of our recreational facilities. Commissioner Bowman wished to take a position against the charging of fees. THE CHAIRMAN CALLED FOR THE QUESTION. The Motion was voted on and carried by a 4-1 vote, Commissioner Bowman dissenting. MAY 1