Campers from the Maple Lake and Cross Lake-Tilberg Park campgrounds were in attendance at Tuesday’s Polk County Board meeting to discuss a letter they were sent about a rate increase at the campgrounds.
Tilberg Park camper Todd Freese told the board that the campers at both campgrounds have received notice that a $500 increase in their full-season camping rates will take effect starting with the 2027 season. Freese stated that this is the second rate increase in three years, and the campers have not seen any improvements to the grounds as a result. They believe that the county should charge rates that are closer to parks owned in neighboring counties, which could be as low as $1,450 for the year, and offer more amenities. “We were at 1693 years ago. We got a $600 bump at one shot. That’s a lot of money,” said Freese. “Nobody really said anything about it. We just bit the bullet, and that’s what we did. Now we get an email from Megan that we’re going to be raising another $500. You guys, that’s $1,100 in three years period of time without any new amenities. Now Glenn does a great job out there. We know that there’s been a lot of stuff done to the park in the past. We’ve got people here that have been out here for 20 plus years, and they appreciate what’s been done. But there’s been nothing done whatsoever since these price increases have happened.”
Polk County Engineer Richard Sanders heard the residents’ complaints and confirmed that rates would increase, but the increase would not be finalized until the 2027 budget is approved. He also informed them that the county would like to make improvements to the campgrounds, but funding is the biggest concern. He also told them that Polk County charges based on a review of all nearby campgrounds to ensure the county doesn’t encroach on or undercut other local campgrounds. “We’re planning on doing park increases for 2027 because of the fees being charged by other parks in the area,” said Sanders. “We’re a government agency. We have taxpayers paying my salary and the salaries for the employees out there. We don’t feel like we should be charging less than what the private entities in Polk County are charging, and so we’re raising our rates. And the campers at both parks are questioning why they’re going up so high, and without any new services. We’re trying to save money from each campground, so that we can do infrastructure changes and improvements at both parks in the future. But until we have that money, we can’t.”
Sanders suggested that representatives from both campgrounds could join the Park Committee, which previously consisted of two county board members, Sanders, and two campground representatives. That way, the campers could meet twice a year to discuss any concerns they are facing and have them addressed as soon as possible.
