Arizona Lottery

Arizona treasurer says changes needed for state budget to be fixed

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[Source: Parker Pioneer, John Gutekunst, 10-8-2009] — Arizona State Treasurer Dean Martin said he hated to be the bearer of bad news when he spoke Wednesday evening at the Parker Community/Senior Center.  He said the state is broke, and he said bad decisions on the part of state officials had more to do with this than the recession.  He added the problems won’t be fixed without some fundamental changes in how the state does business.

Martin described his job as the banker for the state.  He manages the state’s funds and investments.  His office also handles investments for the state’s counties and municipalities.  Prior to being elected Treasurer, Martin served in the Arizona Senate, where he chaired the Finance Committee.  He said he felt frustrated by the lack of long-term planning and the fact there was no “early warning” system for when budget problems were on the horizon.

After he was elected Treasurer in 2006, Martin decided to see if the difference between daily revenue and daily expenditures could be an indicator of the state’s economic health.  By researching records back to 1990, Martin said the difference grew during the good times but dropped in bad times.  During the recession of 2001-02, the numbers actually were negative.  They became positive again as the economy improved.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Arizona State Parks unfreezes grants; funding allows 53 projects to resume

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[Source: Arizona Republic, Amy B. Wang, 10-04-2009] — The budget-beleaguered Arizona State Parks office recently released more than $6.1 million in Heritage Fund grants to benefit historic-preservation projects, trail maintenance, and local and regional parks.  In total, 53 projects around Arizona can move forward with the release of grant money that had been frozen for more than six months, the result of state budget woes that had trickled down to the parks department.  “We are extremely happy to release funding for these very worthy trails, historic preservation and park projects,” said Renée Bahl, executive director of the parks, in a statement.  Twenty-two other projects that had been due to receive Heritage Fund grants were canceled.

The Heritage Fund, created by voters in 1990, is funded by Arizona Lottery sales.  Up to $10 million in proceeds are designated annually for the conservation of the state’s wildlife and natural areas.  The State Parks Board appropriates the money to projects each year.  In February, the department’s grim financial situation forced the board to freeze all grant money.  “It was frozen because we didn’t know that we’d have enough money to operate the agency,” said parks spokeswoman Ellen Bilbrey, citing layoffs that could have affected the staff that worked with distributing the funds. [Note: To read the full story, click here.]

Arizona State Parks Board votes to reinstate Heritage Grants, but legislature’s OK still needed

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[Source: Bonnie Bariola, Florence Reminder] — The Heritage Fund was established through voter initiative in 1990.  The approval of this initiative allows up to ten million dollars each year from the Arizona Lottery to be allocated to Arizona State Parks for the following uses.

  • State Parks Acquisition and Development (17%): Up to $1.7 million annually
  • State Parks Natural Areas Acquisition (17%): Up to $1.7 million annually
  • State Parks Natural Areas Operation and Management (4%): Up to $400,00 annually
  • Environmental Education (5%): Up to $500,000 annually
  • Trails (5%): Up to $500,000 annually
  • Local, Regional and State Parks (35%): Up to $3.5 million annually
  • Historic Preservation (17%): Up to $1.7 million annually

In January 2009 due to state budget cuts, the Arizona State Parks Board voted to suspend all existing Heritage Fund Grants.  As a result 28 Historic Preservation Grants, 10 Local, Regional and State Parks Grants, and 10 Trails Grants that were one to 90 percent complete were suspended.  These 48 grants totaled $6,049,024.  Eleven grants that were 91-99 percent complete were allowed to continue. [Note: To read the full article, click here]

Viewpoint: Cynical budget plan could close more Arizona state parks

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[Source: Doug Frerichs, Arizona State Parks Foundation] — If state legislators stick to their latest budget plans, hundreds of thousands of state parks visitors are likely to have far fewer parks to visit next year, while recession-reeling Arizona communities could suffer major losses in parks tourism and money. At issue are House and Senate Budget Bills that would strip fee-generated revenues from Arizona State Parks, forcing the cash-strapped agency to close more parks or expend funds set aside by voters specifically for parks enhancements and community grants.  In addition to parks already shut because of legislative raids on State Parks earlier this year, the bill could force closure of such scenic sites as Red Rock State Park near Sedona, Oracle State Park north of Tucson, Yuma Quartermaster Depot, Tubac Presidio, and other prized locations.  Even Kartchner Caverns, the jewel of the state system, stands at risk.

In a cynical move, Senate leaders would confiscate State Parks fee-generated income, leaving the agency to rob the Arizona Heritage Fund to sustain a skeleton parks system.  The Heritage Fund, approved by voters in 1990, sets aside $10 million annually from the State Lottery for grants to finance community parks, historic preservation, and conservation projects.  Beyond cynicism, the latest budget schemes would strip away a portion of donations made to benefit state parks by private donors acting in good faith.

To her credit, Gov. Jan Brewer has proposed a more honest, pragmatic approach that would let State Parks keep its fee monies and not subvert purposes of the Heritage Fund.  The governor also recognizes that State Parks — in addition to its superb recreational, historic and natural values — is an economic engine that regularly draws more than 2 million visitors a year and pumps $250 million in tourism spending into local economies.  The governor also has appointed a Sustainable State Parks Task Force to recommend new ways of funding and maintaining such sites as Slide Rock, Riordan Mansion, Dead Horse Ranch, Lake Havasu and Kartchner Caverns state parks — places that annually draw huge numbers for fishing, boating, birding, hiking, camping, and pure enjoyment of our state’s great places.

State Parks is not an agency to be slashed when Arizona communities need tourism dollars.  Despite this, the latest budget measures would repeat mistakes made earlier this year when lawmakers lopped the State Parks’ budget by $34.6 million, resulting in a 30 percent reduction in parks staffing, closure of three parks and reduced operations at six more.  And all this on top of the fact that State Parks has had no general fund or capital budget increases for a decade.

Our state parks were bought and built by Arizonans over the course of half a century.  They were enhanced and improved with major efforts of volunteers. They have provided two, and now three generations with experiences and memories of some of Arizona’s best places.  Raiding the agency, stripping it of its small state general fund support, and forcing the State Parks Board to cannibalize the Heritage Fund are sure fire ways for legislators to destroy what’s good in government, hurt local economies, and leave the future with less.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Doug Frerichs is a board member and past president of the Arizona State Parks Foundation, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for and supporting Arizona’s state parks system. He lives in Scottsdale.