A popular boat ramp at Discovery Village in Anne Arundel County is no longer accessible to the public after the council voted in June to terminate funding for the rent and expenses.

Boaters can now either pay to use one of the other nearby ramps or drive about 20 miles to the closest county-operated ramp.

"I used it probably two to three times a week to go fishing for snakeheads and rays," said Mike Potts, who uses the ramp in Shady Side, Maryland, along the West River.

Potts is one of many Shady Side boaters who frequently use the public boat ramp at Discovery Village, which was the only free boat ramp within a 30-minute drive.

"And then it just abruptly closed," Potts said.

Why is the boat ramp closed to the public?

Shanon Ledbetter, an Anne Arundel County councilmember, said the county's lease with the property owner had an escalating rent.

It also allowed the property owner to make repairs and then bill the county, which would ultimately mean spending taxpayer money without going through a public appropriations process.

Ledbetter said terms should be fair and reasonable for taxpayers and allow for oversight and accountability.

She also said she encourages recreation and parks to find a swift solution to provide public water access in the southern part of the county.

Residents are upset with the closure of the public boat ramp

Lisa Arrasmith, the chair of the Public Water Access Committee, said Shady Side residents are frustrated with the timing of the ramp's closure, which happened before the Fourth of July. 

Residents will voice their concerns at Monday's council meeting.

"People found out about it when they got here, before dawn on July 1, and tried to put their boats in the water," Arrasmith said. "So it was shock and kind of disbelief, like how did this happen?"