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Town Board may revise boat trailer permit law

The Southold Town Board discussed revising its boat trailer permit law, which was enacted before the summer season kicked off this year.

Some glitches arose with commercial haulers this summer, according to Supervisor Scott Russell. Under the law that was originally passed, only commercial haulers with places of business within the town are eligible for boat ramp permits. But it seems many local residents rely on out-of-town haulers to launch their boats each year.

In May, the board passed a local law allowing residents to apply for a temporary permit on behalf of such haulers that’s good for two weeks and costs $10.

“One of the things I’ve come to find out is that the restriction on all ramps to just residential permits is a little bit too restrictive and it has been damaging businesses out here and I don’t think that was the intent of the board,” Mr. Russell said. “As it turns out, some marinas and boat shops don’t have access to a ramp. I was unaware of that.”

The supervisor suggested designating a single location where nonresidents and non-local haulers can launch boats and charging a “substantial fee.”

“I think we need to change something with it,” Councilwoman Jill Doherty said. “I think we do need to let nonresidents in, then our sticking point is where do we park [the trailers]?”

Mr. Russell said that the boat trailer permit law has been working overall, but the board has the opportunity to fix anything before the season comes around again.

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