Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Parks Department Touts 1/8 Cent Tax

By JOHN MILLER Arkansas' state park system brings in an average of 7.5 million tourists annually. These tourists spend an average of $250 million per year at the 48 state parks. However, the department operates on $24 million per year budget from the state's general revenue fund. Because of this, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, along with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Arkansas Department of Heritage and Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission are seeking a one-eighth cent tax initiative. The way this initiative is handled will be by a vote of the people as an amendment to the state's 1874 constitution. Chris Snodgrass, park superintendent at DeGray State Park, told members of the Clark County Industrial Council why this issue is so important. He said between the Parks Department and AG&FC, more than $1 billion is generated. However, the AG&FC is a constitutionally independent agency. The $763 million per year it generates stays with the AG&FC. All the General Assembly can do with AG&FC funds is to approve appropriations, according to State Rep. Percy Malone. Snodgrass said the parks department owns 600 buildings, which is 10 percent of buildings owned by the state. The department's budget for maintenance and operations for these structures is only $185,000. Because of this, he said, many of the buildings are in dire need of repair, including the main lodge at DeGray State Park. The 1/8 cent sales tax, which equals one penny from every eight tax dollars generated, would be divided between the Parks Department, AG&FC, Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission and Arkansas Heritage Commission. The Parks Department and AG&FC, should the measure be approved by voters on Nov. 5, would receive 45 percent of the tax each. The Heritage Commission would get 9 percent, while the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission would get 1 percent. Snodgrass said the Parks Department would benefit from an additional $37 million annually under the tax, which would be a permanent source of funding. These funds, he said, could be used to make the needed repairs and help with educational programs. Currently, he said, these programs are funded with grants and receive no state monies. "We have a crisis in the natural world of Arkansas," he said. "We need programs to prevent litter, keep the buildings in shape and help the museums. "In the '70's, Gov. Dale Bumpers was able to get state and federal money for new facilities, and things were fixed. Now, we're starting to have problems. "We need more money for education and prisons, but our (the Park Department) needs have kept growing too." According to Snodgrass, should the electorate pass this measure, the money would not go into the state's general fund. They would, however, be allocated by the legislature. Arkansas, he said, is 42nd nationally in the number of facilities, but ranks 13th in the amount of revenue produced from them. It will cost the average Arkansan about $10 a year more if this tax is passed, he said. This issue was placed on the ballot before, but was never voted on by the people. According to court rulings, it wasn't properly advertised as an amendment. For this attempt, Snodgrass said, the ballot title has been changed, but is being challenged. "We don't know when or if it will be heard," he said. "We hope to be notified of a court date by Labor Day." The challenge, he said, stems from Amendment 35, which created the AG&FC as an independent entity. This amendment is not being changed or modified in any way by the tax proposal. He said people ask if the state will stop charging fees for entering state parks. This has already been done. The Parks Department no longer charges day fees to visitors. However, in areas such as DeGray, the U.S. Corps of Engineers is involved and still charges usage fees. This, Snodgrass said, confuses people, who, in turn, complain to the Parks Department. In fact, he said the major complaint state residents had about the user fee was they were being double taxed. This was because their state tax dollars were being used to fund the department, which was then charging people to use the parks. Out-of-state visitors, though, didn't complain about the fees. He said many surrounding states have user fees for their parks in place and are accustomed to them. Additionally, Snodgrass said, these moneys could be used for land acquisition by the Parks Department and AG&FC. The AG&FC plans to buy private leases in order to allow more public hunting, he said. "This is the 25th Anniversary of the `Natural State' motto for Arkansas," he said. "On Nov. 5, the people will have the opportunity to decide if they want to keep Arkansas Natural."