Lake County staff propose raising quagga-mussel sticker fee to $60 to stabilize prevention program

Lake County water resources staff asked the Lake County Watershed Protection District board of directors to approve adjustments to sticker fees used to fund the Quagga Mussel Prevention Program, saying the current $20 sticker revenue covers only a small fraction of program costs.

"Our total program cost for this fiscal year was $858,000," said Thomas Fardig, Aquatic Invasive Species Program Coordinator. He told the board sticker revenue under the current $20 fee was roughly $167,000, producing a funding gap that has been largely filled by competitive grants and occasional county support. Fardig presented modeled revenues for higher sticker prices and said a $60 annual resident pass would reduce the grant dependency; he also said an $80 sticker would make the program self-sufficient under current assumptions.

Fardig framed the change as a response to declining state grant dollars and rising operating and staffing costs. "By increasing it to 60, we can still do that. That will be a free service we can provide," he said when explaining that decontamination services would remain free even if stickers rose. Staff materials showed five-year average vendor sticker sales of about 11,187 and ramp-monitor sticker sales of about 1,090, which feed the revenue projections.

Board members voiced concern about the size of a single jump to $60 and emphasized the need for outreach and alternatives. Supervisor Sabatier urged a multi-year approach and more work on decontamination stations and vendor engagement; Vice Chair suggested an interim $10 rise and a stakeholder task force. Chair closed discussion with a direction for staff to return in a few months with refined options and an outreach plan rather than approving a fee at today’s meeting.