Prince Edward County Council passed two more pieces of its Tourism Management Plan on Thursday.
Sitting as Committee of the Whole, council decided to move ahead with plans to improve amenities and enhance user experiences at its municipal boat launches.
A staff report issued several recommendations including changing how boaters pay to launch their boats.
Users will pay for parking instead of launching as staff felt this would be easier to enforce.
They would pay through a parking app.
There will also be renewed emphasis on enforcement of payment to ensure resources are available to maintain launches so the burden doesn’t fall on ratepayers.
Additional seasonal staff will be posted at municipal boat launches to monitor payment, assist in limiting litter and respond to visitor inquiries.
The budget required to implement these improvements is $74,020.
Revenue from parking is expected to cover about $41,000 with the remaining $27,000 to come from the County’s Municipal Accommodation Tax.
Staff will incorporate parking fees at boat launches as part of a Draft By–law on parking on Municipal Property due to come up at a future Council meeting.
Committee of the Whole also passed a report containing new rules to prevent illegal camping and prohibit the use of some barbecues at municipal parks and beaches.
Illegal camping was identified as a top tourism-related challenge in a public online survey.
Staff recommended increasing fines and penalties for illegal campers, increasing fines from the current $75 to $500.
Enforcement would also be increased with by-law officers working shifts with a mix of early and late hours to better monitor and enforce the rules on municipal properties.
The staff report also called for a continuation on the ban on hibachis as well as charcoal and wood-fueled fires at parks and beaches, however, propane-powered barbecues will be permitted in parks with the exception of Wellington Beach where no cooking devices will be allowed.
Better and bilingual signage relating to illegal camping and the safe use of barbecues will also be posted.
The report passed with one amendment to illegal camping so that people camping on their own property or their guests would not be subject to a fine.
