Groups try to head off Legacy raids

Parks and Trails Council is talking with other conservation and environmental groups on how to stop two possible raids on Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment funds.

Some legislators suggested using Legacy money to make Payment In Lieu of Taxes to local units of government when Legacy money paid for new public lands. Currently, all Payments In Lieu of Taxes are made from the general fund and are designed to make up for the property taxes cities and counties and other local governments lose when property goes from private to public hands. Parks & Trails Council, as well as many other groups, have been adamant that Legacy funds cannot legally be used for that purpose.

The issue is still under discussion in committees that oversee Outdoor Heritage appropriations.

Parks & Trails Council, and others, also disagreed with a proposal to set aside funds from the Legacy Amendment for habitat and environmental restoration in a separate trust fund. Again, that would look more like substituting Legacy Amendment funds for current funds, which is prohibited by the Amendment's language.