Starting this year, boaters at the Oak Bluffs harbor will be charged summer rates a week later into the fall.

During its meeting Tuesday, the select board voted to extend the harbor’s slip and mooring summer prices, which are higher than in the off-season, until Sunday, Oct. 20 -- one week after its normal end date. 

The change is meant to accommodate the harbor’s increasing autumn traffic, said harbor master Emily deBettencourt. 

“Since the harbor is still getting a lot of traffic during this time, I don’t see why we should continue collecting fees at our off-season rates,” said Ms. deBettencourt. “We already have the staff here at that time anyway.” 

Ms. deBettencourt and harbor committee chair Mike Santoro also proposed tacking on a $200 fee for Oak Bluffs residents who wish to use the harbor during the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby — an activity that has historically been free. 

The harbor committee wants to charge residents competing in the derby, which runs for five weeks in September and October, the one-time payment to deter people from abusing the current free-slip policy. 

“There have been at least two cases of people coming to my office and asking for a free slip because they live in Oak Bluffs,” said Ms. deBettencourt. “Then, when I ask them for their derby pin, they say they aren’t in the derby and that they’ll just go sign up.” 

“It breaks down to just about $5.71 a day,” said Mr. Santoro. 

The select board was concerned that the new fee would taint the goodwill between the town, residents and the fishing derby, and agreed to table the conversation until a later date. 

“I appreciate that you guys are looking at where we are perhaps losing money… but I’m not ready for this because I think we’ve made a lot of changes in the harbor,” said board chair Emma Green-Beach. “I need to get my mind wrapped around it a little bit better.”

Later in the meeting, select board member Dion Alley expressed concerns about the quality of service at the Oak Bluffs post office. Several residents have contacted him, he said, with frustrations about disrespectful behavior by its workers. 

“While I understand that the post office is federal government, we do represent our residents and I would like us to have a discussion at a future meeting where we at least consider a possible letter to the postmaster in Boston to address this situation,” he said.