Santa Barbara’s slip assignment policy faces amendment

SANTA BARBARA — Boaters in Santa Barbara might have a little more money in their bank accounts after a committee of the local City Council recommended the harbor’s slip assignment policy be amended. The Ordinance Committee of Santa Barbara’s City Council voted to update the Municipal Code to reduce a barrier to entry for boaters looking to occupy a slip in the harbor. Specifically a lottery list assignment fee could be eliminated if the Ordinance Committee’s recommendation is adopted. Boaters would also have an additional 60 days to obtain a new vessel after their previous one was permanently removed from a slip. “The proposed recommendations will help accommodate slip permittees wishing to purchase replacement boats for their slips, eliminate burdensome financial requirements for Lottery Waiting List applicants and increase boating opportunities for the public,” the Ordinance Committee’s recommendations stated. Santa Barbara Waterfront Director and Harbormaster Scott Reidman updated the Harbor Commission of the Ordinance Committee’s recommendation during the commission’s Aug. 18 meeting. He explained the lottery system was “stifling” because boaters are waiting for larger slips to become available and the associated assignment fee ($4,000 for a 20-foot slip, for example) was a barrier to entry. Generally speaking smaller slips frequently become available under the...