- Jun 2, 2008
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RBAW URGENT ACTION ALERT!!
Please Make a Phone Call or Send An E-mail Today!
• BOATERS: We need you, ASAP, to contact the Governor's Office, the Office of Financial Management and Washington State Parks TODAY to tell them that a proposal to permanently remove the Boating Facilities Program (also known as the Recreation Resource Account) and Non-Highway Off-Road Vehicle Account (NOVA) accounts, and merge them into State Parks as a way to move State Parks out of the State Operating Budget, is a TERRIBLE idea.
• A proposal to do so undermines the public trust, hurts the state's credibility, would end up costing the state money, and will be vocally opposed by boaters, ports, and a wide array of recreation groups.
Background: Given the mounting Operating Budget shortfalls confronting the state, Washington State Parks has been asked to develop potential scenarios for moving the entire State Parks out of the State Operating Budget and having it funded through fees and other tools.
Apparently at the request of the Office of Financial Management (OFM), Washington State Parks developed a proposed three-page strategy for sustaining State Parks "off budget." Page 2 includes a permanent shift (RAID) of the Boaters' RRA/Boating Facilities Program and NOVA account funds into the State Parks budget, "for approximately $20 million," with the rationale that, "Without these funds, marine parks used by boaters would be closed."
ACTION NEEDED:
Your telephone calls and e-mails are critical TODAY to ensure the Governor's Office and OFM recognize this idea is a non-starter that would encounter immediate and sustained opposition and be counter-productive for State Parks. On the following pages, we have developed Talking Points you can use to formulate an e-mail or incorporate into a telephone conversation.
Contacts within the Governor's Office and OFM:
• Chief of Staff Jay Manning – Phone (360)753-6780 (ask to be transferred); E-Mail Jay.Manning@gov.wa.gov
• Budget Director Marty Brown – Phone (360)902-0390; E-mail Marty.Brown@gov.wa.gov
• Legislative Director Jim Justin – Cell Phone (360)701-3476; E-Mail Jim.Justin@gov.wa.gov
• OFM Legislative Director Julie Murray – (360)902-0647; E-Mail Julie.Murray@ofm.wa.gov
TALKING POINTS FOR CONTACTS WITH GOVERNOR'S OFFICE/OFM
• We are adamantly OPPOSED to the proposal to permanently remove the Boating Facilities Program and NOVA accounts and put them into the State Parks base budget as a strategy for moving State Parks out of the Operating Budget.
• We recognize the state's budget challenges are more severe than ever, and that bold steps must be taken to address an Operating Budget shortfall that is now at $5.7 billion. We should be doing that in collaborative ways – NOT by cannibalizing dedicated funds that were established by the voters of Washington State.
• We are committed to working with the state to find solutions for State Parks. This is NOT a solution, it is damaging and counter-productive.
• Washington State voters, by initiative, created the Recreation Resource Account/Boating Facilities program (Initiative 215 – 1964). The State would severely damage its trust and credibility by violating the will of the voters and moving these accounts into state parks. There is an implicit contract with this Account – and it was implicitly understood that the raiding of this account in the 2009-11 budget process was a one-time occurrence.
• The Recreation Resource Account/Boating Facilities Program funds come from refunds that boaters are technically eligible for, but usually don't purse (6% refunds; 94% returned to dedicated account). Boaters do this because they BELIEVE in putting their fuel tax unclaimed refunds back into infrastructure to support the boating industry – a MAJOR industry and job and revenue generator for the State.
• We hurt our own industry and general fund revenues if we signal to the boaters that their refunds will be sucked into the General Fund. Boaters will get the message that they should organize to claim their refunds, since their dollars will no longer be going into a dedicated account that the citizens voted to establish.
• Boaters are the ONLY recreational group that pays an excise tax into the Operating Budget – the watercraft excise tax generates approximately $35 million a biennium to the state, meaning Washington receives a very good deal by getting $35 million/biennium off the Watercraft Excise Tax while investing a little under $10 million into the BFP/RRA.
• If this action is taken, we would be signaling to boaters that perhaps they should just seek ways to repeal the Watercraft Excise Tax, since the state would no longer be looking at ways to invest into the infrastructure that supports the boating industry.
• The boating industry is a major economic driver for the State of Washington – a conservative 2007 estimate showed that excise taxes from boaters, sales taxes from boating, vehicle registration fees, fishing licenses, gas tax, etc., generated $200 million/biennium for the State of Washington. This action could cause a major contraction in an already battered industry and COST the state more tax revenue.
• Recreational boats are unique products that can only be used in a marine environment, and only if there is moorage and infrastructure support to do so. With many moorage areas already jammed to capacity, recreational boaters could be forced to Canada and elsewhere if underlying infrastructure is not there.
• There would be a domino effect if the revenue that supports the boating industry is taken away. Sales and B&O tax revenues would fall off, and service facilities, fuel docks, and other boating-dependent businesses would feel the pain.
• The state also needs to remember WHO benefits from the RRA/BFP, and the leveraging effect that it has. Because a 50 percent match is required under this program, the state leverages $1 for every $1 it spends and essentially doubles its investment.
• Also, HALF of the funds under the RRA/BFP go to natural resource agencies such as Fish & Wildlife, DNR, and State Parks – so the state would be attempting to keep State Parks whole by taking money away from other agencies.
• Finally, it is worth noting that the Governor did NOT recommend a shifting of RRA/BFP funds in the 2009-11 budget and has been supportive of ensuring that the 2009-11 raiding of the RRA/BFP and NOVA accounts was a one-time thing. This kind of proposal would undermine the Governor's credibility with recreation and industry groups that have been supportive of her efforts.
