Kings Mountain official defends Moss Lake fee hikes

KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — Cleveland County residents are fighting against a dramatic fee increase to camp, boat and live around John H. Moss Reservoir.

Kings Mountain City Council members voted 5-2 Tuesday night to adjust the fee schedule for Moss Lake.

City manager Jim Palenick said decades of fee discounts for residents has left them in a deficit and the city needs more money to maintain the area’s facilities.

“This was the opportunity to, in a sense, increase those and to bring those fees more contemporary. One of the features of the fees in the past where there were lots of discounts for paying early, there was a bundling discount for adding it to boat fees and things like that. We were looking to eliminate those all and simplify it such that the lease fee is the lease fee,” he said.

Around a hundred homeowners and lake-goers attended the meeting and the majority voiced their anger over the updated fee proposal.

Several speakers said they understood the need for semi-regular fee increases but were shocked to see one large increase instead of a gradual price raise.

Palenick said there were several reasons to adjust the fees.

“In many ways because so much of it’s been neglected for so long. And number two, I think if it’s too gradual, there isn’t the sort of motivation or psychological acknowledgment that there are some reasons why you don’t do certain things like, you know, boating with a certain type of engine out there that isn’t necessarily something we want. We want you to recognize the fact that there is a there’s an impact on what you’re doing out there,” he said.

Yearly boating permits currently cost $80 but will soon cost $200. Lake residents would get a $50 discount.

Palenick said he’d like to discourage motorized watercrafts on the reservoir because his priority is to keep it as clean as possible. He said he hopes it’s viewed primarily as a drinking water source first and a recreational site second.

“It’s basically saying ‘we’re not eliminating them and we’re not telling you can’t.’ So you can still do this recreation, but there’s a cost to it,” he said.

The costs associated with purifying the water for consumption come from the city’s Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund. Fees collected from permits and lake usage fund facilities like the boat ramp, parking lot and bathrooms.

The reservoir is owned and operated by Kings Mountain, although it is several miles outside the city’s jurisdiction. Palenick said residents around the water are Shelby, Cherryville or Cleveland County residents, not Kings Mountain residents.

“This is odd,” he said. “It’s a reservoir owned by the city Kings Mountain, created by the city of Kings Mountain, but with no jurisdiction on anywhere around it.”

Palenick said council members decided to compromise some on the fee adjustment schedule proposal based on the response from the community.

The adopted schedule lessens the maximum lease fee residents would pay for access to the land between the shoreline and their property lines to $975 a year, down from the proposed $1,725 per year.

Council members took out the clause that would require residents to remove their irrigation pumps and instead upped the fee for using the devices.

During Tuesday’s meeting, several council members voiced a desire to table the vote until there was time for more conversation about the increases.

“I make the motion that we postpone this until we can sit down and schedule a meeting to where we can at least have your board present while we talk,” said Jimmy West, Ward 4 Councilmember, referring to the John H. Moss Reservoir Commission.

“I do think there needs to be better communication between us and our neighbors at Moss Lake,” said At-Large Councilmember Shearra Miller. “They may not be residents, but they are our neighbors.”

Speakers at the meeting repeatedly made the point that not all residents who live on the lake are considered wealthy by today’s standards. They said many are retired and can not afford a large, sudden adjustment to their budget.

Palenick said the fee schedule has not been updated since 2018 and an adjustment is past due.

“The cost of living is dramatically higher on the lake. You make that choice. There are greater expenses that come with it. So, you know, ultimately, if you can’t afford that lifestyle, I guess you have to make other choices,” Palenick said.

Palenick got the city manager job in 2022. He took over when Marilyn Sellers retired after 17 years in the position. Palenick previously served the communities of Gastonia, NC, Dallas, NC, Racine, WI and Middleton, OH.

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