LAWTON — Camping at Lakes Ellsworth and Lawtonka will cost more starting in July.
Lawton City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to approve higher campground-related fees for the two parks. Councilman Keith Jackson was absent. Starting July 8, overnight camping fees for preferred sites at both parks will cost $25 per unit instead of $20. The overnight fee for non-preferred sites will rise from $17 to $20, a $3 increase.
Rates for primitive camping will rise from $8 to $10 per tent. People 65 and older, people with disabilities, and youth organizations at non-preferred sites will see their fees rise from $13 to $15. Day-use picknicking fees per vehicle, per day, will rise from $3 to $5, and the cost of group picnicking reservations will jump from $30 to $35.
The six-month fee for dry stalls will go up by $50, from $200 to $250. And the per-tent fee for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and similar youth organizations in primitive areas will rise from $4 to $5. Officials with the Lawton Parks and Recreation Department and the Land and Lakes Commission recommended boosting camping fees at the two parks to offset rising operating costs.
The fee increases will help Parks and Recreation Director Jeffery Temple reach his goal of improving the parks, said Ward 6 Councilman Sean Fortenbaugh. “Jeff has a really good plan, a vision to upgrade our lakes, campgrounds and all the facilities out there,” said Fortenbaugh. “If you go out there – and I know a lot of people who have been out there – it’s pretty rough now.”
Fortenbaugh said the city has not invested much money in those parks in the past, and he supported the fee increases because they would help make the parks nicer. Ward 8 Councilman Randy Warren said revenues from the new fees will be plowed back into the parks where they were collected.
“In other words, if you pay a fee for camping at Lawtonka, that’s where that money will be used,” he said. Warren said raising the fees is the first step toward upgrading the parks. He added that city officials might find other ways to pay for those improvements in the future, but user fees were the only option for now.
Water bills to go up July 1
Lawton residents will see slightly higher water bills starting next month. Lawton City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to raise water, sewer, trash and landfill rates starting July 1. Water bills issued on or after July 1 will reflect the new rates, which equal a 1.5% increase for monthly fees and a 50-cent increase for rolling stock – wheeled items that need to be replaced.
Lawton Water Authority approved the new rates, which were later confirmed by the city council. The rates, which are tied to the Consumer Price Index, will help the city cover the cost of providing utility services and the expenses associated with rolling stock.