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By CHRYSTALL KANYUCK
Cronkite News Service
PHOENIX (Thursday, Nov. 5) _ A task force appointed by Gov. Jan Brewer recommends adding $14 or $15 to annual vehicle registrations to help sustain Arizona State Parks.
The recommendation from the Task Force on Sustainable State Parks Funding includes the ability for vehicle owners to opt out of the fee. However, all drivers with Arizona license plates would receive free admission to state parks.
The proposed fee echoes a recommendation in a report last month by Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy.
Paul Senseman, a spokesman for the governor’s office, said the recommendation is worthy of public discussion.
“There have been cuts for many years, and the parks are in critical need of funding,” he said.
With the state addressing a budget crisis, Arizona State Parks has seen its operating budget cut to $19 million in the fiscal year that began in July from $26 million the previous year. Entrance fees, which helped fund capital improvements, are now used to cover operating costs.
The task force’s report, dated Oct. 30, said the vehicle fee would free Arizona State Parks from a “roller coaster system of financial support.”
The task force also recommends that legislators return to 2008 funding levels to prevent further cutbacks and deterioration of services.
“The State Parks system is in imminent danger of complete collapse as a result of financial starvation during most of this decade,” the report said.
Arizona’s 31 state parks have a $226 million annual economic impact, making a sustainable funding system essential, the report said.
“Further cutbacks would devastate the state parks system,” said Jay Ziemann, assistant director of Arizona State Parks. “We’re just trying to keep the system afloat.”
If legislators enact the surcharge and half of Arizona drivers opt out, the task force estimates $40 million would be generated. That’s enough to run the system and make critical improvements such as repairing crumbling walls at Jerome State Historic Park’s Douglas Mansion and bringing condemned pipes up to code, the report said. But it won’t leave any extra money for the system to grow, the report said.
Cronkite News Service was unable to reach members of the task force for comment Thursday afternoon.
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_ Arizona State Parks: www.azstateparks.gov
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PHOTOS: Click thumbnails to see full-resolution images.
Wildflowers bloom at Picacho Peak State Park in this undated photo provided by Arizona State Parks. (Photo Courtesy of Arizona State Parks)
Wildflowers bloom at Catalina State Park north of Tucson in this undated photo provided by Arizona State Parks. (Photo Courtesy of Arizona State Parks)
Red Rock State Park is a nature preserve set beneath the majestic rock formations overlooking Sedona. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Andrew Shainker)
Tonto Natural Bridge, the site of a popular state park, lies just north of Payson. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Alyson Zepeda)
Jack Stewart (left) of Flagstaff and Jesse Rodrigues of Prescott, volunteers at Fort Verde State Historic Park, dress in uniforms and show visitors how cavalry members lived with the fort was active in the late 1800s. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Andrea Wilson)
The Throne Room is the centerpiece of Kartchner Caverns State Park in Benson. The park is marking its 10th anniversary as the jewel of the state park system. (Photo by Noelle Wilson, Arizona State Parks)