State Parks System Needs Funds To Prevent Collapse

By Tammy Gray-Searles
   “It is our judgment that the state parks system is in imminent danger of complete collapse as a result of financial starvation during most of this decade,” wrote the members of the state task force on sustainable parks funding in their Oct. 30 report to the governor.
   The task force was asked to find ways to keep Arizona state parks open. In the report, the group recommended implementing a $14 to $15 fee to vehicle registrations that would be dedicated solely to state parks, ensuring enough funds for both maintenance and operations, as well as infrastructure and capital improvements.
   “...(O)ur chief recommendation is that the state should implement a Sustainable State Parks Fund, which would be financed by a $14 to $15 annual contribution to be collected from owners of non-commercial vehicles as a part of the vehicle registration process,” the recommendation notes. “The proceeds would be dedicated to the operation, maintenance and capital needs of state parks. In return, private vehicles bearing Arizona license plates would be admitted free to state parks. The enactment should include a provision to allow individual license holders to opt out of paying the surcharge, so it would not burden those who are least able to afford higher expenses.”
   According to the task force report, as well as a separate report prepared by the Morrison Institute, without a drastic change in funding, all of Arizona’s parks are in danger of being shut down.
   “This plight is not simply the result of the current state budget crisis,” the task force wrote. “While that has greatly exacerbated an already critical set of problems, the reality is that it is not likely the parks situation can be stabilized even if state government recovers from its overall shortfalls. The current system of erratically funding state parks in Arizona is broken in both bad and good times. It must change or our parks will not survive.”
   The report notes that the cost of operating the state parks is less than the amount of revenue they generate for the state, and that if the parks were allowed to fail or close, Arizona would be the only state in the nation without state parks. According to the task force, the serious problems facing the park system generally began in 2003.
   “The parks system has had no operating fund increases since 2002 and hasn’t had a meaningful capital budget since 2003. As a result, state parks has massive unmet capital needs and its facilities are falling into ruin,” task force members noted. “Historic buildings, like Jerome’s Douglas Mansion, are collapsing due to disrepair. Wastewater and drinking water systems throughout the parks are disintegrating and have been condemned by environmental regulators. Unrepaired beaches are eroding and docks are splintering at state rivers and lakes.”
   According to the task force, implementation of a vehicle registration fee to support state parks would not necessarily sustain future growth, but would likely result in enough revenue to keep the parks operating and make much-needed infrastructure repairs. The group estimated that, if instituted, the fees would “cure the most critical unmet capital needs within five to six years.” They pointed out, however, that actual income may be difficult to estimate due to the opt-out provision.
   Task force members also made two other major recommendations in their report, including asking that the governor make a “general fund appropriation that is sufficient to prevent further parks cutbacks and service deterioration” in the next fiscal year, and provisions that special programs administered by the state parks department, such as historic preservation grants, be given entirely separate funding.
   In the report, the task force members noted that they believe most Arizonans would support the vehicle registration fee increase as a means of keeping parks open.
   “The task force believes that the vast majority of Arizonans will embrace this proposal as a fair and necessary solution,” the members noted. “Arizona citizens value water resources, natural beauty and open spaces as the state’s greatest assets, according to the largest public opinion survey ever performed in Arizona, released earlier this month by the Center for the Future of Arizona. These are the kinds of assets that are protected by the state parks system.”