After hearing complaints from dock owners on Lake Lanier, Allatoona Lake and other bodies of water, and from members of Georgia's congressional delegation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it is delaying a steep increase in dock fees.
In Facebook postings, the corps said it would delay the fee hike in the South Atlantic region while it conducts a national review of shoreline management program fees. Information: https://bit.ly/2PpV0WS
“The South Atlantic region will continue to operate the current Shoreline Management Program within its existing procedures and fees until further notice,” the Corps said. The region includes the Mobile District, which takes in metro Atlanta.
Since 2006, new five-year dock permits have cost $400, and renewals have cost $175 on seven Corps-managed Georgia lakes. In June, the agency announced in a letter to dock owners that fees for new and renewed permits would both go up to $835 as of Jan. 1, 2020 – action that would impact more than 10,000 docks on Lake Lanier alone.
In August, U.S. Reps. Doug Collins, Jody Hice and Barry Loudermilk said they were not satisfied with the Corps’ explanation for the fee increase. They also said the fee hike announcement, made without prior warning to residents, could have violated a federal statute requiring agencies to publish notice of plans to change a rule or make a new rule.
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