A group of longtime boat owners say a policy now being strictly enforced by Clay County has them out of a dock space at Smithville Lake.
Boat owner Cory Booth, as well as multiple other boat owners who spoke to 41 Action News, said after a deadline for dock fees passed on January 12th, the county did not take late payments from many of the boat owners.
In year's past, Booth said the county let boat owners pay after the deadline.
However, with the deadline now being strictly enforced, many of them are now in a bind.
"Because of that, they're gone," said Booth, who told 41 Action News he renewed his spot earlier this year. "They have to leave now."
Booth said many of the boat owners form a tight community on Smithville Lake, and as a result of the deadline being strictly enforced, many of them have to find a new place for their boats.
"It's a very big family activity. Everybody on this dock knows one another. We each have each other's phone numbers," he explained. "If you lose your slip, you're not only moving spots, you're gone. You're not coming back."
Booth told 41 Action News that boat slips cost around $1,700 for six-month leases.
However, as a result of missing the deadline, boat owners may now need to pay more to move their vessels.
"We have folks here who very large vessels," he said. "They can't haul it all on their own. Legally, to move them, you have to have a commercial permit."
Booth said around 60 to 70 boat owners have been impacted by the strict deadline.
He told 41 Action News that some of them have tried contacting Clay County leaders about their concerns, but to no avail.
"The folks who have lost slips and been boating here for decades are now gone," he said. "For no other reason than being a day late."
Adding to boat owners' confusion, Booth said some of them were able to pay for their dock space the day after the deadline.
"Some people were allowed to pay on the 13th of January in the morning," he said. "Others were not."
As a result of the confusion, Booth said the docks at Smithville Lake may deal with more issues in the future.
"The folks who have lost their slips, their slips have been given to other people," he explained. "Now you got new people coming in, expecting to put their boat in there and there's somebody in there."
On top of the issues, Booth said some boat owners who live out of state are now wondering what could happen next to their vessels.
"We just want to know what they're going to do," he said. "Are you really going to kick all these people out? What are you going to do with all their boats?"
A Clay County spokesperson issued a statement on the matter, saying:
The last lease contracts expired December 31, 2016. Boat slip holders were notified by mail in December and with reminder phone calls in January that there was a payment deadline of January 12th for the January – June lease term. The Clay County Code of Ordinances does not entitle a non-paying customer to a boat slip at Smithville Lake.
When payments were not received timely, the county began calling the list of customers who have been waiting for years to lease a boat slip at Smithville Lake.
41 Action News found that others areas across the metro have similar policies.
In Jackson County, a Parks & Recreation spokesperson said boat owners are given around two months notice to renew their dock space at Longview Lake and Blue Springs Lake. If they do not pay by the deadline, boat owners lose their spot.
Moving forward, Booth hopes Clay County reconsiders its strict enforcement of the dues deadline.
"You should at least give those who patronize this lake, who've been here for years, who have had boats here and done nothing more than to be a day late on their bills, give them an opportunity to renew their lease like they always have," he explained.
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