December 10, 2008 – Recent news reports have speculated that state lawmakers may be considering ways to patch the state’s record $5.2 billion budget deficit with the proceeds from the new dedicated Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. While no specific legislative leaders have been linked to these reports, the constitutional amendment passed by voters in November explicitly states that the new dedicated money must supplement traditional sources of funding and not be used as a substitute for it.
Making sure that Gov. Pawlenty and the Legislature respect the language of the Constitutional Amendment will be a top priority for the Parks & Trails Council in 2009. The Parks & Trails Council is also making it a top priority to work with the governor and the Legislature to ensure that the new funding is used wisely so that Minnesotans can see tangible results of the investments they authorized on behalf of Minnesota's natural and cultural heritage.
In order to clearly articulate the position of the Parks & Trails Council this session, we have developed six core principles that we believe should guide how park and trail funding decisions are made during the 2009 session. Because it will be imperative for Parks & Trails members to be able to articulate these core principles to legislators, we are including them here for your reference. They are:
- The Park and Trail Fund is not sufficient to meet all of the needs of Minnesota's parks and trails.
- When developing an allocation formula for the Park and Trail Fund, equity and balance between the needs and priorities of the three distinctly different park and trail systems must be recognized (state system, metro system and Greater Minnesota regional system).
- The Park and Trail Fund should be used to meet the specific priority needs of each distinct park and trail system.
- The Park and Trail Fund must provide flexibility to meet future, unknown needs.
- The DNR should create a new grant program to deliver Park and Trail Fund money to Greater Minnesota regional parks and trails.
- The Park and Trail Fund must supplement, not supplant, current levels and sources of park and trail funding, including general fund appropriations, other "dedicated" funds, the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, and capital bonding appropriations.
