Property owners along the Northwestern Pacific Railroad from Healdsburg north may pay more for private rail crossings, as the railroad's cash-strapped owner looks for ways to raise money.
Annual fees could double under one scenario being considered by the North Coast Railroad Authority.
"I'm not excited about an increase like that," said vintner John Fetzer of Hopland's Saracina Vineyards, who leases a small plot of railroad property in Mendocino County.
An increase might be palatable if the railroad restores passenger service on the line, he said.
The authority on Wednesday also said it plans to pursue property owners who are using its right-of-way without paying. "We need a cop on the line," said Allan Hemphill, who serves on the authority's board.
In one case, the authority is considering a lawsuit against an Arcata wood products company that allegedly tore up the tracks and used the railroad's right-of-way for storage.
Others have illegally built fences across railroad property, said Mitch Stogner, the authority's executive director.
The railroad between Healdsburg and Humboldt County has been closed since 1998 because of storm damage. Freight traffic resumed on a 62-mile stretch of rail between Napa County and Windsor last year, but it's not clear when cargo service will be extended north.
The railroad authority owns the Northwestern Pacific tracks from Healdsburg north, and Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit owns the southern portion.
There were about 80 private crossings and a number of other leases when the authority acquired the route in 1996.
Today, the authority is collecting crossing fees from just 30 property owners. Others have stopped paying and new uses have likely been created without notifying the authority, it said.
Last year, the authority collected fees from wineries, wood products manufacturers, vineyard owners, water districts, utility companies, cities, fruit packing businesses, homeowners and commercial developers, among others.
Currently, the crossing fee for a residential property is $324 per year, while the commercial fee is $3,244. Crossing fees and other leases raise almost $362,000 a year for the authority.
On Wednesday, the authority's board authorized hiring a part-time property specialist to inventory its leases, crossings and encroachment permits. The agency also will begin identifying illegal encroachments and enforcing its property rights, it said.
The agency's staff is expected to propose a new fee schedule by July. Current fees are less than other railroads charge and they don't generate enough money to maintain the right-of-way, the authority said.
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