DNR proposal addresses deficit

By DAVID SALISBURY and SHERI McWHIRTER
Capital News Service & Record-Eagle staff writer

December 10, 2007 04:00 am

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LANSING -- A proposed $9 surcharge on license plates for all passenger and recreation vehicles would help pay for state parks and other natural resource programs, supporters say.

The new surcharge would replace the current vehicle permits for state parks and boating access areas, but would not replace camping fees. Out-of-state visitors still would have to purchase a vehicle permit to use the parks.

Currently, vehicle passes are $6 a day, or $24 a year.

Ron Olson, state parks chief at the Department of Natural Resources, said the proposed surcharge is an effort to prevent a projected $5.3 million deficit in the state park budget.

Without the extra money, Olson said, "it could even mean closing parks down altogether."

Mary Dettloff, DNR spokeswoman, said the idea was hatched by the Citizens Committee for State Parks as a possible way to solve long-running funding shortages in the department.

The concept currently does not have a bill sponsor to make a pitch to the Legislature, although it was discussed in a sub-committee meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission on Thursday.

Olson estimates $35 million could be generated from the new surcharge -- well above the projected deficit.

The plan is modeled after one in Montana, where residents can opt out of the parks fee. Montana has seen only about 15 percent of its motorists do that, Olson said.

The proposal also would allocate 10 percent of revenue generated from the surcharge for grants to local recreation programs.

Olson said he expects input from the Natural Resources Commission to shape how the proposal is brought to the Legislature.

Tony Hansen, press secretary at the Michigan United Conservations Clubs, said that although the idea sounds "interesting," he doesn't expect to see it pass.

"There's been an eight-month fight on hunting and fishing licenses to cure the DNR deficit," he said. "I don't expect to see anything happening with this either."

DNR Director Rebecca Humphries said that "some funding plan is needed" and has proposed closing 37 state parks to erase the deficit.

Kelly Chesney, press secretary for Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, said her office had not seen details of the proposal and had no comment.