State Senators Block Lake Hopatcong User Fee Talk

With the Lake Hopatcong Commission nearing the end of its financial rope, attention at Monday's night meeting turned to the possible implementation of user fees.

But Chairman Russell Felter said even if the LHC could get past issues concerning the legality of user fees, considering municipalities would try collecting them off a state-owned Lake Hopatcong, no senators would OK legislation at the moment.

Felter said talks with senators Anthony R. Bucco (R-25) and Steven Oroho (R-24) and Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco have gone nowhere.

"They won't sign on for that now," Felter said. "They see that as another tax."

On Monday, the Lake Hopatcong Commission took perhaps its boldest move in allocating almost all of its remaining funds into a July weed-harvesting project. The commission voted, 6-0, with abstentions from the Department of Environmental Protection's Kerry Kirk Pflugh and Morris County Commissioner David Jarvis, to use $32,000 on five employee salaries throughout the month after using about the same amount over the last two months to fix the commissions four harvesters.

Felter said the commission desperately needed state reimbursement for the harvesting.

"If we don't get it, we're basically done," he said.

Several members of the public championed user fees.

Hopatcong resident Charles Morel said marinas could collect fees from boating slips. "Even if we don't get everybody," Morel said, "I think this would be palatable for the boaters for them to donate that fee to the Lake Hopatcong Commission."

Lake Hopatcong resident Tim Clancy, a Knee Deep Club member, said: "There’s a revenue stream there. We need to get over this fear of a fee … the support is out there.”