Having paid our first moorage bill of 2016 with the imposed increase, it might be timely to read Bertram’s thoughts from the Jefferson County Moorage Tenants Union blog, JCMTU.wordpress.com.
By now you have received in the mail notification of a moorage increase. The mailing neglected to tell you that your total increase is 3.5%. Commissioner Tucker and his inner circle pushed hard for a 5.5% increase but were blocked thanks to Cathy Langley who reminded the Commission that there was already a motion for a 3.5% increase. Cathy’s presence at the meeting shows the great value of attending Port meetings.
The push for rate increase came from the “market rates for moorage” battle cry from the Tucker reelection campaign. If you listen to the hours of audio from the 2015 budget workshops and meetings, you will hear the discussions dominated by Mr. Tucker’s inner circle who wanted the Commission to ignore the Strategic Plan and follow their own agenda. This includes: economic development as the sole commission mandate, maximize profits on port services, ignore regional pricing, define market rates on the basis of the waiting list demands, and raise rates until the waiting list is exhausted.
Two meetings ago I asked Commissioners Tucker and Hanke if indeed their policy on Port Market Rates was to raise moorage rates until there is a significant reduction in the waiting list? They refused to answer (which in my book means yes).