HOUSE BILL REPORT
SHB 2416
As Passed House:
February 13, 2006
Title: An act relating to state park fees.
Brief Description: Concerning state park fees.
Sponsors: By House Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks (originally sponsored by Representatives Kessler, Hasegawa, Hunt, Haigh, McIntire, Dunshee, B. Sullivan and Takko).
Brief History:
Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks: 1/13/06, 1/17/06 [DPS];
Appropriations: 2/1/06, 2/2/06 [DPS(NREP)].
Floor Activity:
Passed House: 2/13/06, 94-2.
Brief Summary of Substitute Bill |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, ECOLOGY & PARKS
Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by Representatives B. Sullivan, Chair; Upthegrove, Vice Chair; Buck, Ranking Minority Member; Kretz, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Blake, Chandler, Dickerson, Eickmeyer, Hunt, Kagi and Orcutt.
Staff: Jeff Olsen (786-7157).
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Majority Report: The substitute bill by Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 30 members: Representatives Sommers, Chair; Fromhold, Vice Chair; Alexander, Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; McDonald, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Armstrong, Bailey, Buri, Chandler, Clements, Cody, Conway, Darneille, Dunshee, Grant, Haigh, Hinkle, Hunter, Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Linville, McDermott, Miloscia, Pearson, Priest, Schual-Berke, P. Sullivan, Talcott and Walsh.
Staff: Alicia Paatsch (786-7178).
Background:
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Commission) is granted authority
to care for and supervise the state parks system. The Commission also has the authority to
charge fees for the use of facilities. On January 1, 2003, the Commission authorized a $7
daily parking fee and a $70 annual parking pass, discounted to $5 per day and $50 per year
until January 2008. Moneys collected from parking fees are deposited into the Parks
Renewal and Stewardship Account and are used for state parks' operations, development, and
renovations.
Summary of Substitute Bill:
The Commission is prohibited from charging a fee for parking or for general park access.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: (Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks) Budget shortfalls in the past resulted
in pressure to find new revenues for state parks by adopting a day use fee. The day use fee
has resulted in reduced attendance, high collection costs, AND negative impacts to tourism.
Attendance has decreased by 20 percent. Citizens, particularly the poor and elderly, have
been negatively impacted by the fees. Local parks are also being impacted with increased
attendance. People already own their state parks and have a right to enjoy them without
having to pay a parking fee.
(Neutral) Implementing the vehicle license fee will require programming changes and
changes to the renewal form, resulting in new costs. Washington's experience with voluntary
fees, organ donation awareness for example, has resulted in low participation rates.
(With concerns) No one likes the parking fee; however, if the fee is removed it needs to be
replaced with a stable, long-term funding source. There needs to be some flexibility to allow
the Commission to collect other types of parking fees. Parking fees have brought some
improvements, vandalism is down, facilities have been improved, and staff have been hired
to allow rangers to focus on their primary duties.
Testimony For: (Appropriations) Fort Warden State Park is one of the largest parks, has a conference center, and is an anchor in our community for tourism. We could not add a $5.00 fee that would deter attendance. Parks said that they would generate $10 million a biennium from parking fees and they actually generated $7 million. Last year revenue actually went down from parking fees at the $5.00 cost and now Parks is going to raise the parking fee to $7.00.
Testimony Against: (Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks) None.
Testimony Against: (Appropriations) In 2002 to save $200,000 out of Parks budget, Parks was told to get revenue from lease holders. This didn't happen and four parks were closed. In 2003 Parks implemented a statewide parking fee to avoid closing parks and to tackle the deferred maintenance problem. If the parking fee is taken away without replacement revenue, we'll be back to closing parks. We applaud the removal of a barrier to people enjoying parks but we need a permanent, stable funding source. The parking fee is the second largest revenue source for Parks. In 2001 $2.1 million was cut from Parks budget, in 2003 Parks began to collect the parking fee and kept parks open, and in 2005 parking fees were shifted from deferred maintenance to fund the base operating budget of Parks. We saw a reduction in services such as lifeguards at beaches and interpretive opportunities, so we implemented the parking fee and the Legislature understood that we needed to hire park aides to collect the fee and do other things to allow rangers to keep doing their job.
Persons Testifying: (Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks) (In support) Representative
Kessler, prime sponsor; Dennis Eagle, Washington Federation of State Employees; Nora
Porter and Jean Dunbar, Fort Worden Advisory Committee; and George Randels, City of Port
Townsend Planning Commission and Fort Worden Advisory Committee.
(Neutral) Deb McCurley, Department of Licensing; and Keith Long, Department of
Licensing.
(With concerns) Joan Thomas, Fred Romero and Pam Wilkins Ripp,Washington State Parks
and Recreation Commission; and Jim King, Citizens for Parks and Recreation.
Persons Testifying: (Appropriations) (In support) Nora Porter.
(Concerns) Dennis Eagle, Washington Federation of State Employees.
(Opposed) Joan Thomas, Parks Commission Vice-Chair; Jim King, Citizens for Parks and
Recreation; and Rex Derr, State Parks Director.