I have a degree in urban planning and must speak up: Legislators were considering Senate Bill 1257 to raise fees for boaters to fair market rates in public harbors and ramps throughout the state.

Since when are public facilities priced as if they are a private for-profit business?

The Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) Strategic Plan is a severely flawed appraisal upon which the fair market rates are based. Apparently, DOBOR counted on legislators being too busy to read because it should have triggered many questions. The Strategic Plan has many mistakes and obvious omissions, such as the number and type of users served at each facility and the annual maintenance costs of each facility.

What is unknown is the number of people priced out of boating if legislators had succeeded. Fortunately, the bill stalled in conference committee.

When it coms to public harbors, fair market value is not fair to the people of Hawaii. Shame, shame, shame.

Rob Johnson

Waikiki

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