Crowdog Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/97239.html Off-road formula skewed Survey: Spending exceeds what sport nets, raising doubts about park funding. By M.S. Enkoji - Bee Staff Writer Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, December 23, 2006 A new survey shows state spending on off-road vehicle recreation is double what the sport contributes, which could mean cutbacks at off-road parks such as Prairie City near Rancho Cordova. The survey for the state Department of Parks and Recreation concludes that the state has been relying on a skewed formula to collect a share of the state gasoline tax reserved for off-road vehicle recreation. The 16-year-old formula used an estimate of five illegal, unregistered off-road vehicles for every registered one. That would have meant 202 million gallons of gasoline every year would be consumed by unregistered vehicles. But the new survey puts the ratio far below one unregistered vehicle for every legal one. "It's a $56 million program and we're looking at a reduction of more than $29 million," said Daphne Green, a deputy director with the department. The amount apportioned for off-road vehicle recreation from the 18 cents-a-gallon tax is set by the Legislature, which would have to decide whether to adjust the formula. A budget collapse like that, though, would devastate the department's program, which includes maintaining eight off-road parks, Green said: "It would cripple it." Some environmentalists have long suspected that people who use street-licensed off-road vehicles for other pursuits, such as fishing or camping, were subsidizing the state off-road recreation facilities. The survey seems to confirm that the majority of the state's off-highway fuel is consumed in trucks and SUVs rather than in recreation vehicles like dune buggies or ATVs. "Every time Californians drive on dirt roads to camp, fish or hike, we are paying fuel taxes to promote the same dirt bikes and ATVs that are trashing the land and ruining outdoor recreation for the rest of us," said Brent Schoradt, deputy policy director of the Oakland-based California Wilderness Coalition. "I think this shows the need for the off-roaders to pay their fair share of the program." Most of the off-road fuel-tax money is spent on maintaining the parks, but a smaller share pays for related functions such as enforcement and environmental measures. The state's off-highway vehicle program will come under scrutiny in 2007 by the Legislature, which has to renew it or it will expire in 2008. Green said it would be unwise to gut the program for a growing sport. Industry representatives, expecting the survey's outcome and responding to a tremendous surge in the sport's popularity, were already searching for other money sources, said Fred Wiley, executive director of Off-Road Business Association. The group is looking at how other states raise money for the sport. Boosting the registration fee of $24 every two years for off-road recreation vehicles is a possibility, but any new law would have to ensure the money would not be used for anything else, he said. The characterization of irresponsible riders who leave behind a trail of destruction is unfair, he said. "They've tagged that 1 to 3 percent of the jerks that every group has and that's not really fair," Wiley said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quicksilver Posted December 27, 2006 Share Posted December 27, 2006 Looks like another attempt by the greenie weenies to shut our sport down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAGDOLL MX Posted December 27, 2006 Share Posted December 27, 2006 well then, i wan to know where all the money is going then, how about they take a look at all the out of state money that comes in from the countless times that i keep paying my 20.00 to get into dumont, when i should have just bought the 60.00 pass. how about doing the math on 25K people going to Dumont, and those fees? they are not going to put out dumpsters, or rv hook ups, hell they wont even pay for paving of the entrance road. I do belive that someone is making alot of money on this deal, and if you want to look at glamis when they have 250K people showing up and paying, thats alot of fundage......someone is getting paid...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Cheese Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 it is a scam no-one sees that 18 cents a gallon tax, but the politicians' cronies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 (edited) Lets see everyone has to buy a green sticker every two years. I would guess that there is 400,000 people in the high desert (Hesperia, Victorville, Apple Valley) and thats conservative. I personnel have four vehicles and on the average (per my street) every house has at least 1 OHV, so lets say 100,000 green sticker vehicles in the high desert. CHA CHING = 2.2 million dollars every two years. Thats just three little towns. I know everyone will say not everyone has a green sticker, probably true but anyone that lives up here knows the town is full of dirt bikes. So 100,000 is very conservative. So class if we estimate 25 million people in Ca. and we estimate 25% own bikes that comes to 6.25 million people which comes to $$$137.5 million dollars every two years. Green sticker money is for keeping trails and BLM land maintained. Ask DMV where thats going? Edited January 17, 2007 by Hoss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBox_Kid Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Lets see everyone has to buy a green sticker every two years. I would guess that there is 400,000 people in the high desert (Hesperia, Victorville, Apple Valley) and thats conservative. I personnel have four vehicles and on the average (per my street) every house has at least 1 OHV, so lets say 100,000 green sticker vehicles in the high desert. CHA CHING = 2.2 million dollars every two years. Thats just three little towns. I know everyone will say not everyone has a green sticker, probably true but anyone that lives up here knows the town is full of dirt bikes. So 100,000 is very conservative. So class if we estimate 25 million people in Ca. and we estimate 25% own bikes that comes to 6.25 million people which comes to$$$137.5 million dollars every two years. Green sticker money is for keeping trails and BLM land maintained. Ask DMV where thats going? :chev_bowtie: Don't forget about non-resident OHV fees also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Cheese Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Lets see everyone has to buy a green sticker every two years. I would guess that there is 400,000 people in the high desert (Hesperia, Victorville, Apple Valley) and thats conservative. I personnel have four vehicles and on the average (per my street) every house has at least 1 OHV, so lets say 100,000 green sticker vehicles in the high desert. CHA CHING = 2.2 million dollars every two years. Thats just three little towns. I know everyone will say not everyone has a green sticker, probably true but anyone that lives up here knows the town is full of dirt bikes. So 100,000 is very conservative. So class if we estimate 25 million people in Ca. and we estimate 25% own bikes that comes to 6.25 million people which comes to $$$137.5 million dollars every two years. Green sticker money is for keeping trails and BLM land maintained. Ask DMV where thats going? :chev_bowtie: chump change to the CA liberal lawmakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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