Blunt signs bill raising boat fees

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The cost of operating a boat on Missouri's rivers and lakes is about to go up -- but so is the law enforcement capability on those waterways.

Legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Matt Blunt will raise boat registration fees to generate more money for the Missouri State Water Patrol.

About 315,000 boats are registered in Missouri, excluding canoes, rowboats and other paddle-powered vessels. Depending on the boat's size, owners now pay a fee ranging from $10 to $40 every three years.

The new law, which takes effect Aug. 28, raises those fees to $25 for the smallest boats (shorter than 16 feet) and $150 for the largest boats (stretching more than 40 feet long).

Based on the number of boats in each category, the fee is projected to generate almost $5 million annually for the state -- $3 million more than the state now receives. The new money will go to Water Patrol for such things as staff salaries and newer boats and trucks.

Blunt, a Republican, frequently touts his opposition to higher taxes. But a spokeswoman said the governor does not view the higher fees as a tax increase, primarily because they are paid only by the people who should benefit from the expense of the money.

"This will help improve public safety on waterways, will benefit Missouri tourism and it will help public schools," Blunt spokeswoman Jessica Robinson said.

One of the law's new requirements is that people registering boats show proof they paid personal property taxes -- just as automobile owners already do. That requirement is expected to cause more boat owners to pay their property taxes, which help fund local school districts, Robinson said.

The higher boat fee was supported by the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau and the area's marine dealer association -- two organizations that depend heavily on the continued popularity of boats.

The Lake of the Ozarks ranked third nationally among water bodies from 1995 through 2004 in the number of serious accidents, trailing only the Atlantic Ocean and Colorado River.