[Source: Florence Reminder] — “Today (Monday) the Board approved the 2010 operating budget down from $26 million to $19.3 million,” State Parks Board Chair Reese Woodling said. “All of that money now is coming from conservation taxes and park-earned monies with none from the state’s General Fund budget. This is not a sustainable budget to keep the parks and programs operating, so we have hard decisions about how to fund each one.”
“This $19M is also contingent on the enactment of the Budget Reconciliation Bill which would authorize the agency to use certain special funds for normal operating. Heritage Fund grants were recommended to be reinstated, but that is also contingent upon a favorable Joint Legislative Budget Committee review to allow internal fund transfers,” said Woodling.
“Now our staff will be looking for all different types of partners to keep the parks open in these rural communities. In September our staff will be presenting scenarios for salvaging the state parks and programs. We will have to drastically reduce our expenses to meet the extremely low budget presented today,” said Renée Bahl, the State Parks executive director. [Note: To read the full article, click here]