SLIF

Arizona State Parks staff issues memo on reinstatement of suspended historic preservation Heritage Fund grants

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[Source: Vivia Strang, Historic Preservation Grant, Consultant, Arizona State Parks] — Today at the Arizona State Parks Board meeting the Board made and approved the following motion:

“Move that the Board authorize the Executive Director to reinstate the funding of the Heritage Fund Grants suspended in FY2009 and further provide the Executive Director the authority to extend the terms of the affected Grant Contracts up to 12 months.  This authorization is contingent on; 1) a favorable review by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) of the agency’s request of cash transfers, between its own funds, to comply with reductions and transfers from the state budget bills, and 2) the enactment of the Environmental Budget Reconciliation Bill previously (SB1258), which provides operational authority for the State Parks Board.”

What does this mean?

  • First – today the Board approved the reinstatement of the suspended Heritage Fund Grants (suspended in February 2009) plus a 12 month extension to complete the project.
  • Second – JLBC has to give a favorable review of the cash transfers.  The JLBC meets frequently and this could potentially happen in September.
  • Third – the Legislature and Governor have to enact the Environmental Budget Reconciliation Bill.  While the Governor signed a budget, part of what was line item vetoed were portions of the Arizona State Parks operational budget.  This needs to be renacted for State Parks to have funds to continue to operate.  The Legislature is still meeting and we should know the outcome any day.

Today the Board voted to cancel the FY 2010 Grant Cycles for SLIF, Heritage Fund, OHV and LWCF Grant Programs.

Arizona State Parks makes it official: No SLIF grants

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[Source: Diana Parker, Today’s News-Herald, Havasunews.com] — Arizona State Parks announced late Monday that grant applications made this year for $6.5 million in State Lake Improvement Fund monies — including four from Lake Havasu City — have been cancelled because the agency must release SLIF monies to the state’s general fund.  “We had no choice but to cancel these grants as the funds were swept from the accounts by the Legislature,” Bill Scalzo, chair of the Arizona State Parks Board, said in a press release.

SLIF revenues are generated by a portion of state gas taxes attributed to watercraft use and by watercraft licensing taxes.  The funds are supposed to go to water-based recreation facilities, such as launch ramps, bathrooms and campgrounds, lake improvements and law enforcement.  State Parks also relies on SLIF monies for its capital improvements.  “Now the parks are facing many crises as the historic structures and the infrastructures at the parks are deteriorating and we can’t make any improvements,” Scalzo said.

State Parks received 12 applications for SLIF grants this spring.  Seven came from cities in Mohave and La Paz counties.  Among the monies sought by Lake Havasu City were $195,000 for two police patrol boats, $365,000 to dredge the entrance of Bridgewater Channel and $408,342 for a fireboat, lift and dock for the Windsor Beach area.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Arizona State Parks grants lost due to state budget cuts

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[Source: Sedona.biz] — The Arizona State Parks department received 12 grant applications this spring requesting approximately $6.5 million from the State Lake Improvement Fund (SLIF).  Unfortunately, because of legislative budget sweeps, those monies must be released to the legislature by August 15, 2008, so the Arizona State Parks Board reluctantly had to release those monies back to the General Fund.

According to Bill Scalzo, Chair of the Arizona State Parks Board, “The State Lake Improvement Fund bill was passed so that tax monies from boat fuel could be used for safety improvements on the lakes, for better law enforcement and boating access.  These safety improvements now cannot be made and we are forced to move the money to the General Fund for other uses.”  “We had no choice but to cancel these grants as the funds were swept from the accounts by the legislature,” he said.

“The State Parks department has struggled since the last round of sweeps in 2002.  At that time the agency was forced to use its capital improvement funds from SLIF ($2.3 million) to operate the parks.  Now the parks are facing many crises as the historic structures and the infrastructures at the parks are deteriorating and we can’t make any improvements.”  [Note: To read the full article click here.]