Background Information
on HB 6 and SB 252 – Parks Funding Legislation
The Value of the Texas State Parks
System:
There are 114 state park units which provide
natural and historic sites for youth education
programs, hunting, fishing, hiking, camping,
family outings and pride in Texas.
13 of the 28 reasons out of state visitors
choose to visit Texas are State Park experiences.
10 million park visitors spend money in local
communities generating over $1.45 billion in
economic activity annually. State Parks visitor
expenditures support over 14,000 jobs in Texas
communities annually.
Problems with Funding the Texas State
Parks System:
Among all 50 states, Texas ranks 49 in per
capita expenditure for parks and recreation.
In 1990, operating expenditures by the state
on parks accounted for 0.40% of the state’s
operating budget. By 2003, this had dropped
to 0.15% (fifteen one hundredths) of the state
budget. Because of this decline, coupled with
ever-increasing costs, additional areas to
manage (legislatively mandated) and un-funded
personnel costs, the state parks’ current
budget shortfall has lead to lay-offs, partial
closings and curtailment of park programs,
especially for youth.
The status quo or a band aid approach is
not a solution
The Solution to Our State Parks Funding
Problems:
It must be stressed that HB 6 and HB 252
are enabling bills to remove the cap on revenue
for parks allocated from the “Sporting
Goods Tax” – entirely. They are
not the appropriating bills. Appropriations
will be done through a separate process; but
passage of this legislation is the first step
toward getting additional sporting goods tax
revenue appropriated to parks above the current
cap.
While it would be great to accomplish full
funding (@$112 million in FY ’08 and $116
million in FY ‘09, according to the latest
Comptroller estimate), the “bottom line” which
was recommended by the Texas State Parks Advisory
Committee and unanimously accepted by the TPWD
Commissioners who in turn made those recommendations
part of the TPWD’s legislative request
is as follows:$106 million annually out of the
sporting goods tax revenue for 10 years.
This is not a one-shot request. Only
with this substantial and sustained funding over
10 years can we accomplish the goal of returning
our parks to a state of excellence.
Below are the categories of recommended and
requested amounts:
Current Uses of funding (2006 from Sporting
Goods Tax) $20,639, 529
State Park Funding $15,408,287
Local Park Funding $ 5,231,242
Recommended Additional Above FY 2006 Through
Direct
Expenditures from Annual Appropriations $16,796,879 Operating Needs
$ 2,000,000 Department Support
$ 6,637,104 Equipment Replacement
$25,000,000 Major Repairs
$15,000,000 Acquisition and Development
$20,000,000 Local Park Grants
$85,433,983 Total Annual New TPWD Expenses (if paying from
annual revenue)
Total TPWD Annual Needs Funded by Sporting
Goods Tax $106,073,512
The Committee also considered the option of
financing the above Major Repairs and Acquisition
Development needs using bonds. The approximate
annual debt service for $400 million in bonds
is $34,340,000 annually, which would reduce funding
needs by approximately $6 million for each of
the 10 years.
Some legislators would like to do their part
to save parks but are now saying that while they
love state parks, it is their unstudied opinion
that TPWD cannot spend all of the funds requested
in a timely and fiscally sound manner.
Again, the Texas State Parks Advisory Committee
and the present Parks & Wildlife Commissioners
came to the conclusion that there is sufficient
planning and staffing in place at TPWD to use
the additional $106 million annually in sporting
goods tax revenue in an effective manner.
The principle argument to rebut this is that
we will never return our park system to excellence
unless we begin to have trust in the professionals
that dedicate their lives to the proper management,
restoration and preservation of Texas’ natural
and historic sites and let them get the job done.
There is very adequate oversight in place to
gauge progress and success in moving the state
parks system forward.
