GLADSTONE — Residents who enjoy Gladstone’s recreational facilities will notice some fee increases. The Gladstone Parks and Recreation user fees for the 2019-2020 year were approved during the Gladstone City Commission meeting Monday.

Many of the user fees were left unchanged, however the campground, sports park winter memberships and harbor rates will increase.

Nicole Sanderson, Gladstone Parks and Recreation Department director, presented the changes to the commission. Although there will be no increase for tent sites at the campground, daily and monthly rates will increase for other sites. The electric, full hook-up and the new water/electric sites daily rates will rise by $1 next camping season.

New daily rates for the campground are $26 for electric sites, $34 for the full hook-up sites and $30 for the new water and electric sites. Monthly rates for electric and full hook-up sites increased to $520 and $680, respectively.

Sanderson noted as the rates are set annually, the daily rates for the campground always increase by $1 every year to prevent huge price jumps for returning campers.

“As we came up with our campground rates, I did call around. Of course Manistique has premium rates — they have $50 a night … with their new campground. But we are just about where we should be with these new rates. Probably still slightly, a little bit less in some situations, which is good. We don’t do any advertising, we don’t do anything and it’s full. Could we go a couple dollars higher? Probably. I have raised the rates every year trying to keep up, so it seems like a $1 here and a $1 there, but we do it every single year. We don’t wait three or four years and then hit somebody with a $4 charge,” she said.

Commissioner Brad Mantela said he thinks the campground sites are underpriced. He also thinks the monthly rates, which provides a deal of one week of free camping, should be eliminated.

He explained since the campgrounds are so popular, it could stand to have a rate increase to reflect demand.

Sports park’s winter memberships increased 20 percent. Daily rates were unchanged.

Sanderson explained the prices should now reflect the efficient snow-making capabilities the park has to offer.

“We have a product now. We can make snow,” she said.

She is estimating around 68 days of tubing and skiing this winter.

“If we have 30 degree temperatures we’re open where we weren’t open before. So if we have just any kind of winter at all we’re looking at 68 days,” Sanderson said.

The new rates include $228 resident and $264 nonresident for the family skiing memberships; $132 resident and $150 nonresident for the single skiing memberships; $150 resident and $180 nonresident the family tubing membership; $89 resident and $108 nonresident for the single tubing membership; $288 resident and $336 nonresident for the family combo membership; and $180 resident and $210 nonresident for the student combo membership.

The harbor will also face increases due to Michigan Waterways Authority, the body that sets all harbor rates in Michigan.

Sanderson explained the authority increased rates, so the harbor has to comply with them. She noted although the west end docks are not under the authority’s jurisdiction, the recreation board recommended a $50 rate increase to coincide with the other rate increases in the harbor.

The new rates for the docks at the harbor include: $1,300 for the 25 foot docks, $1,560 for the 30-foot docks, $2,340 for the 45 foot docks, and $700 for the west end docks.

The 2019-2020 user fees were unanimously approved by the city commission. Commissioners Darin

In other business, the commission:

– heard public comment from Gladstone resident Mike O’Connor about what he claims is “financial fraud” the city is undertaking due to the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Back in 2017, O’Connor had sued the city on a couple issues, one of which included the DDA. A settlement was reached between the city and O’Connor in December 2018, however O’Connor continues to bring up the legality of the DDA and how it uses its funds. At the meeting, O’Connor made three points, which were all addressed and debunked by Interim City Manager Eric Buckman during his report at the end of the meeting. Buckman noted all funds captured by the DDA, past and present, are legal and the city is adhering to state laws.

– tabled business relating to payment in lieu of taxes (PILT) in regards to the Gladstone Housing Commission until more information is presented on the matter to the commission.

– tabled the city manager search until the next meeting, as two city commissioners were not present at the meeting.

– authorized City Clerk Kim Berry to appoint the necessary election inspectors for the upcoming general election on Nov. 5.

– reappointed Dave Woodworth and Judy Granger to the planning commission with terms expiring Oct. 1, 2024.

– reappointed Gary Stevenson to the Compensation Commission through Oct. 1, 2028. With the reappointment, there still is one vacancy on this board.

– accepted the local bid for $57,113.70 from Fox Power for the rebuilding of the North Bluff Distribution line. The line is one of the five main circuits that feed the city of Gladstone. Mike Kennedy, electric department head, explained due to the age, condition and damage, it is time to replace the poles and upgrade it to a larger conductor. Although the project was not budgeted for, $50,000 was budgeted for work at Van-Aire and that project is being postponed until next year. The remaining $7,113.70 will be need a budget amendment.

– scheduled a financial report meeting for Monday Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. in the city hall to review the recent audit.

– plan to schedule a meeting sometime at the end of the month to go over the cost of service and utility rate study for the electric, water, wastewater, and solid waste funds and the “Turner Report.” Joseph Turner of Michigan Property Consultants, LLC., of Saginaw, Mich., reviewed the capture of the assessed value of the properties within the DDA district that were relied on for the funding the DDA in the fiscal years between 2009 and 2018. Both the study and report were terms of the settlement with O’Connor.

– approved the payments to Arjay Automation, of Burnsville, Minn., and Mulcahy Shaw Water, of Cedarburg, Wis., as per the project of replacing turbidimeters and recording equipment. The project total cost was $19,827 and was budgeted for $20,000.