In June 2010, Council adopted Off-Street Public Parking Regulation Bylaw No. 1274, 2010, which allows the parking of boat trailers. In 2019, the bylaw was amended to allow recreational vehicles with a permit and pay the required fees for a maximum of 7 days. The amendment also permitted utility trailers used to haul cars, motorcycles, or equipment for the duration of special events in Town upon paying the required fees.

The bylaw currently states that the boat trailer parking lot is closed from 11:00 pm – 7:00 am. After consultation with the directors, it was decided that the following changes should be made to the bylaw to ensure that current level of service can be maintained. The Operational Services department has been opening the boat trailer parking lot at 7:00 am. The Town’s Bylaw Enforcement Officers lock the facility while closing the parks and washroom at 10:00 pm. The signage at the boat trailer parking lot states that the lot is closed from 10:00 pm – 7:00 am. The hours are defined in the bylaw, a change to the bylaw is required to reflect current practice.

Other amendments to the Bylaw proposed include extending the operating season, allowing it to be open through October. It is expected that the boat trailer parking lot will remain open until October 15 each year allowing users to capture the Thanksgiving long weekend. We will monitor demand in October to see if the operating season should be extended beyond the 15th or decreased.

During the months of May, beginning of June and after the September long weekend, overtime is incurred to close the boat trailer parking. The increased fees will help to recover the additional cost of providing this level of service.

A considerable amount of staff time is spent on the enforcement and administration of Municipal Tickets from Boat Trailer Parking Lot. Staff is suggesting an increase to the rates charged effective May 2021. In 2019, Bylaw wrote 130 tickets for the Boat Trailer Parking Lot. The Deputy Corporate Officer followed up with all the tickets. Twenty-four tickets were sent to collections, 76 were paid, and the rest were dismissed due to a wide range of issues.

Currently, the daily rate is $5.00, the Weekly rate is $30.00, and Monthly rate is $150.00. Staff surveyed municipalities across the province. Many municipalities do not offer a service such as ours, and staff received very little input into the actual fees charged. The current fees haven’t been increased since 2018. Staff is suggesting an incremental increase to the charges effective May 2021. The chart below outlines the gradual increase that staff is recommending and the year that changes come into effect.

Source: Town of Osoyoos

Boat Photo: Dreamstime