Need help on state parks unfunding issue

[texastoast]

I received an email from one of our district representatives connected with my son's very Republican Boy Scout troop. The Scouts are (naturally) up in arms about the lack of funding of state parks and have asked us to protest the issue. This is very much a common ground issue that I would like to comment on to Tommy Williams and Rob Eissler.

Does anyone know if there is a reason why the neocons singled out state parks? Does anyone recommend a particular tack? I would like the guidance of the very savvy Texas forum before I draft my comment on the parks issue.

Thanks!

[McBlogger]

1. REPLYING TO THE PARKS ISSUE

God's Country: For Sale <http://www.drivedemocracy.org/?p=545>
No Bucks, No Beauty: Our State Park Budget
Crisis<http://www.drivedemocracy.org/?p=550>
Park Underfunding Becomes
Cause<http://www.burntorangereport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1500>

That should get you started.

[texastoast]

2. Thank you!

And welcome to DU!

:toast:

[alarimer]

3. Part of the problem is the way TPWD is funded in general

Their rationale is that "User Pay-User benefits" is the way to go. Most of the agency is paid for by the sale of licenses and from excise taxes on sporting goods. In theory, this is a good thing. It means that they are not as dependent on the largesse of the state legislature, which, as you know, is often lacking. But state parks are not self-supporting. They could not charge enough to make it self-support. If they did, it would be too expensive for most people to go to. Plus there are state parks that are not very heavily used but are vital because they protect some resource or historical site that deserves preservation.

Texas is 94% privately owned. There are not enough parks as it it near urban areas. A lot of them are in remote areas. The fact is we need a new funding structure specifically for parks and we need more parks. But the current regime at TPWD is not very interested in parks as a rule (though they claim to be).

[McBlogger]

4. Partially true...

but not completely. The tax actually does raise enough money. The problem is that the R's changed things a few years ago and capped the amount of money raised by the tax that could be spent on parks. The rest went into the general fund.

You are absolutely right that there aren't enough parks, especially in the cities.

[alarimer]

5. I forgot about that

Of course Republicans do not like parks anyway. It's a shame that they have had to close some parks (Matagorda Island State Park became Matagorda Island Wildlife Management area- out of the parks division into the Wildlife division- but they lost the ferry) and cut hours on others. I am worried about Mustang Island State Park, which, along with Padre Island National Seashore, are the last barriers to developing Padre Island to within an inch of its life. I am afraid that some developer will make the state an offer it can't refuse (although I am not sure about the legality of that since the land was given to the state by some rich person to use as park).

[Sopianae]

6. Bell Blasts Perry for Underfunded Parks

The Austin Chronicle has an article about Bell campainging on the issue. It has some info that might be helpful:

Bell Blasts Perry for Underfunded Parks by Amy Smith

...
Standing before a pooled area of Onion Creek, Bell accused Perry of failing to honor the wishes of voters, who in 2001 approved $101 million in state bonds to pay for park improvements. Since then, Bell said, state parks received just $36.7 million in bond money for 2001-2002, followed by zero dollars in the 2003-2004 budget cycle and only $18.1 million for 2005-2006. "Texans went to the polls and voted to fund our state parks, but Rick Perry has defied us and is blocking these funds while our parks waste away," Bell said.

The park system's funding problems began long before Perry took the helm. In 1995, the Lege placed a $32 million cap on the amount of funding parks would receive from the sporting-goods tax. But Bell faults Perry for perpetuating the park system's declining health while overseeing a state budget that has grown 42% under his watch. Nationally, Texas ranks No. 49 in per capita spending on state parks. Responding to recent criticism over parks funding, Perry said he would sign legislation to eliminate the $32 million cap and boost funding for the beleaguered park system. But Bell believes Perry's preference would be to privatize the park system altogether, despite numerous polls that show voters overwhelmingly support leaving Texas parks under public control.
...
A recent study commissioned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department painted a dismal picture of state-owned public lands. An additional $25 million per year is needed for day-to-day operations, the study reported, while an extra $100 million would be required to restore parks to modern-day standards. That's not all – parks on the critical list need some $500 million to cover major repairs, plus another $40 million to cover a backlog of road-repairs in state parks.