Each year the Michigan State Parks need tens of millions of dollars worth of work, in terms of maintenance and repairs. Each year the DNR which oversees the parks is funded at levels that allow them to do a fraction of that work. So when plans were announced to lower the entrance fee to state parks a viewer wondered how they can do that and hope to stay one step ahead of growing “To Do” list. The answers I found him are the subject of this Fact Finder.
I took our viewer’s question directly to the Rebecca Humphries, the director of the Michigan Department of Natural resources. She admits "Right now we have lost general funds support. We've had no tax payer money that goes into our state park system for 5 years. Now we are so tight, the infrastructure needs work and we don't have any money to make those repairs."
So because of all that, the DNR is going to lower their admission rates, charge less to their customers to try and make more money? Make sense? Well it didn't to at least one viewer when he heard about a plan that is gaining momentum in Lansing. The plan according to Humphries is spelled out on paper right now, "the legislature has a draft bill out that is in committee right now. It has bi partisan support. It would remove the motor vehicle permit and it would instead put a $10 fee on renewal of motor vehicle license plates."
Here is how it could work...
Instead of paying the current $24 for an annual pass, (one of those stickers you put on your windshield)the next time you renew your license plate through the secretary of state you could make a $10 payment. That
payment would entitle the car with that plate to have access to state parks for the next year. Humphries says "the idea behind it is we could reduce the fee but have a much broader spectrum of Michigan Citizens paying for it and support our state parks." But just because you renew your plates, doesn’t mean you have to support the parks. Humphries says "It has an opt out of it provision so individuals who do not want to participate wouldn't have too."
So if you do nothing when you get your new plate renewal, you will be charged the 10 dollars. It’s your responsibility to say no thank you. The state is banking on the fact that people who use the state park would pay
the lower annual fee than what they're paying now and that some people who don't use the parks would also pay because they want to support the parks.
So why would the DNR do this? The plus side according to Humphries "We could do away with the entrance gates at our state parks making them more accessible but more importantly putting our employees in the park where they could make sure the park's will be maintained and do programming."
I asked and Humphries told me they don't intend to cut the number of employees just switch their duties.
So if approved and if you paid the $10 you could zip right by the soon to be unmanned admission gate but others point out so could anybody who didn't pay. Essentially it's the honor system. Since there is no sticker, and no person to check stickers, how do you possible enforce this? Humphries says "another state has tried this state of Montana." So I made a few phone calls to the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks department to find out whether it works for them. They told me Montana has a $4 voluntary license plate fee and about 75% of the residents do pay it.
They say they periodically do check license plates in some state parks, but they say they catch very few people who are trying to cheat the system by being in the park without paying for it.
So what do you think? Is this is a good idea? Will this lead to abuse and loss of revenue? Or will it be the solution needed to restore funding to Michigan’s State Parks?
I want to know what you think. Please leave a comment.
