Boats, kayaks, paddleboards and related water floatation equipment
and devices shall be defined as "watercraft" for purposes of this
article.
To protect the health, safety and welfare of the general public,
any watercraft left overnight on any Michiana public beach or Village
beach storage rack must have a Village of Michiana watercraft registration
sticker affixed to the front right side of the watercraft, regardless
of whether the watercraft is owned by a Village resident or a non-Village
resident. Annual registration sticker cost will be established by
the Village Council each calendar year by resolution, which may be
amended from time to time.
Failure to have a watercraft registration sticker displayed
on the watercraft may result in your watercraft being removed from
the Village public beach or Village beach storage rack. In addition,
the violation of this section is a municipal civil infraction. The
following fines may be assessed:
A. Fines for not having a watercraft registration sticker on your watercraft:
$5 per day to be charged to the owner of record.
B. Fine if removed by the Village from the beach or storage rack for
not displaying a registration permit: flat fee of $100 for hauling
fees, plus storage fee of $5 per day.
All watercraft must be removed from the Village of Michiana
public beach lands and beach storage racks by October 31 of any given
year.
Any watercraft not removed from the public beach and/or the
Village beach storage rack after October 31 in any given year shall
be confiscated and removed by the Village of Michiana. If, after being
contacted by the Village, in writing, at the owner's address,
the owner refuses to pick up and/or remove their watercraft from the
Village within 10 days after being sent written notice by the Village,
the owner shall forfeit rights of ownership of the watercraft to the
Village of Michiana. The Village of Michiana reserves the right to
charge the owner of record all costs associated with the removal of
the watercraft from its public beach Land and beach storage racks
after October 31 in any given year at $5/day.
[Added 5-11-2019 by Ord.
No. 2019-02]
A. About late April, the Village Beach Commissioner and the Village
Department of Public Works Superintendent should determine which beaches
are of sufficient size for public use. This includes which beach stops
will have kayak racks. The racks should be placed on the northern
side of a beach stop whenever possible to prevent obstruction of lake
sunsets. Also, racks should be placed as far from the waterline as
possible to prevent loss during storms
B. No other items (chairs, coolers, floaters, etc.) will be allowed
to be stored on the rack.
C. A list of where each kayak rack is located (stop number) and the
number of watercraft spots available in each rack will be given to
the Village Clerk. A page for each rack location and its number of
spots will be generated to add the following: permit number, name
of resident; a contact phone number; and description of the watercraft.
D. For approximately two months (May and June), each Village address
will be allowed to purchase two watercraft stickers, first come first
serve. Once a rack location/stop is filled, no further stickers for
that location will be sold. Stickers for another rack location that
is open can be purchased. Only residents of the Village can purchase
watercraft stickers until July 5. After July 5, if any kayak spaces
are available, nonresidents of the Village may purchase two watercraft
stickers, first come first serve.
E. Also, only residents of the Village can purchase one additional watercraft
sticker for a sailboat/catamaran that must be stored at the appropriate
beach area between stop 37 and stop 38.
F. The kayak racks shall be checked by the Department of Public Works
once a week.
G. Watercraft without stickers shall be confiscated and the Police notified
for the writing of a citation. No watercraft will be released back
to its owner before paying the citation.
Violation of this article shall be a municipal civil infraction, and the minimum fine for a first offense shall be $100, with $150 for a first offense and at least $200 for a third or additional offense, plus costs and fees incurred by the Village as stated in §
107-14 of this article.
If any section or provision of this article is found to be unenforceable
for any reason or on any basis, the remainder of the article shall
still be given full force and effect to the maximum extent allowed
by law.
This article shall become effective on March 31, 2017, 14 days
after publication.