Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505250077
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Bird watchers, canoeists and other nature enthusiasts could be required to pay user fees as hunters and anglers do now if the General Assembly approves the proposal.
``The problem is our needs exceed our income,'' said Lawrence Jahn, chairman of the Game and Inland Fisheries board. ``This problem has been known for some time.''
The department gets its revenue from fishing, hunting and trapping licenses, boat taxes and federal funds. For the fiscal year that ends June 30, the department projects revenues of $30.6 million, short of the $31.6 million budgeted for the agency.
Hunters are critical to the department's funding, but their numbers have been declining. From 1980 to 1991, the state's population increased 18 percent while the number of hunting licenses dropped 17 percent, according to figures from the U.S. Census and the Virginia Center for Public Service.
Virgil Kopf, chief of the department's division of planning and policy, last year complained that facilities have deteriorated, and equipment and staff positions have been approved but not funded.
``It's sinful the shape they are in,'' Del. Victor Thomas, D-Roanoke, said of the department. ``They have trucks with more than 180,000 miles, boats that leak and not enough employees to do the job.''
The department's mission has expanded from simply ensuring the health of the game animal population and enforcing game regulations. Now it must deal with complex issues of nongame species, water quality, acid rain and the environment of the state as a whole.
Hunters and anglers have complained about their license fees funding projects that seem unrelated to their sport.
Thomas successfully guided a bill through this year's General Assembly that will turn over the proceeds from state sales and use taxes on watercraft to support the fish and game department's boating safety program. That is expected to bring in an additional $2 million annually by 2000. Previously, that money went to the state's general fund.
``This will allow the boating program to stand on its own, be self-supporting,'' Thomas said.
Del. Harry Parrish, R-Manassas, said the 1996 General Assembly will look at user fees as a way of keeping the department self-supporting.
Parrish sponsored a bill in the past session that would have levied a $6 fee for using state boat ramps, which are the department's responsibility. The measure would have exempted those with hunting or fishing licenses and those with registered boats. That would mean canoeists, kayakers and rafters would have paid the fee.
Currently, those craft pay no registration fees.
``Those who use the services would pay for the services, some for the first time,'' Parrish said.
The measure failed, but Parrish said he expects something similar to be before the legislators next year.
by CNB