Port: Passenger rate goes up
Last week in a regular meeting the Port Commission voted to increase the Port of Nome’s passenger rate from $1.50 to $5 and approved a 6.34 percent increase in tariff prices for the 2024 season.
The port commission met last Thursday for a work session before their regular meeting to discuss rates and tariffs. After comparing Nome’s passenger fee to others from around the state, the commission agreed to an increase.
“I think we broke a record right last year with our number of cruise ships. Mind you, they’re much smaller. But why would we not want to [increase the fee] if they’re on a high end, eco-tourism cruise?” Commissioner Gay Sheffield said.
The council voted to keep the facility charge fee at $2.50.
The passenger fee money goes toward improving passengers experience at the port, funding things like restrooms. Harbormaster Lucas Stotts said he’s currently looking into a portable restroom that’s both affordable and appropriate for the port.
The 6.34 percent tariff increase is in congruence with the Consumer Price Index increase.
Commissioner Derek McLarty pointed out the port pricing has increased over 12 percent in the past two years. McLarty went on to say the increase will be harder on smaller users of the port.
Even with the increase last year, storage at the port went up, Harbormaster Lucas Stotts said.
In other business, Project Manager Joy Baker said following the public meetings in Nome last month the planning team for the port strategic plan will synthesize the information they learned and develop a schedule for a return to Nome to present to the port commission and hold more public meetings.
In new business, the commission made a motion to support the City of Nome’s grant application process to the USDOT RAISE program for funding for the Snake River Moorage Facility Development. The goal of the project is to increase storage space for vessels in anticipation of a larger influx of ships in Nome’s harbor once the port is fully developed. The grant is being prepared by port staff and is due February 28.
In commissioners’ comments Sheffield said the Western Alaskan Interdisciplinary Science Conference will be held in Nome from April 2-4 with a theme is “Western Alaska in Transition.”