Originally Posted By: Crazy Ivan
Candlewood Lake Authority proposes boat sticker fees
By Robert Miller Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 02/09/2008 05:07:47 AM EST


Currently, the five towns around the lake -- plus First Light Power Resources Inc., the hydroelectric power utility that owns the lake -- each contribute about $60,000 a year to the Candlewood Lake Authority. A good share of that money -- about $150,000 -- pays for the boat patrols that enforce safety rules on the lake.

The money would then be used to pay for the Candlewood Lake Authority boat patrols.

The towns would, in turn, see their share of contributions to the authority reduced. The sticker program would pay for the patrols, not the towns.

Marsicano said a patrol program also has to budget in the cost of buying new boats and engines, because they get plenty of wear each year. The authority finally estimated it would need about $350,000 per year to run the patrol program properly. That, in turn, led to the higher sticker fee estimates.


Ok, to run the program "properly" it would cost 350k a year to run the program, or is it 150K? Sounds like Marsicano is saying that it can be run for 150k a year but they want to spent 200K a year in new boats. They already get 360K a year from the towns and First Light. There seems to be a lot of fuzzy math in Marsicano's plan. He's talking about the lowered fee to the towns to lessen the taxpayers burden for the lake. Are the towns going to lower their mil rates or issue refunds to residents if this passes? I think not. This sounds more like a plan to simply restrict lake access.
Ron