Democrat State Rep. Matt Pierce discusses House Bill 1245's potential impact
(Matt Pierce, Zoom)
Entrance fees for certain state parks and recreation areas could increase by no more than $1 under a new bill introduced during this legislative session.
House Bill 1245, authored by Republican State Rep. Dave Hall, would allow certain Indiana counties to adopt an ordinance to charge that extra fee, in addition to fees charged by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Annual state park pass holders would not have to pay the extra fee.
The bill states that if a county adopts an ordinance to collect the extra fee, then the DNR would have 60 days to collect the money and then pay the surcharge to the county treasurer by no later than the end of the month.
The money would have to be used for public safety, infrastructure/water quality improvements, or both.
The bill is co-authored by Republican State Reps. Steve Bartels and Jim Lucas, as well as Democratic State Representative Matt Pierce.
Pierce told WFIU/WTIU News he supports the bill because it could produce a revenue source to help fund local infrastructure/water quality needs throughout Monroe County.
“I think any kind of additional resources we could get into the programs that are involved in assuring that Lake Monroe remains a clean and healthy water source for the city is a good thing,” he said.
Pierce also said the bill could benefit everyone, especially heavy tourist areas like Brown County.
“This could be a win-win for all involved,” he said. “It can help communities that have these facilities in their areas to be able to better deal with the tourists and influx of people who come to enjoy them. It doesn’t take anything away from DNR and the resources they currently have.”
Scott Rudd of the Brown County Council agreed, calling it a “win-win-win” for local and state government, as well as residents.
Rudd said most counties that have state parks are rural in nature and low in population, which puts a strain on local first responders. Rudd said that strain becomes more severe during a time when thousands of tourists are flowing through Brown County.
According to the bill, if a state park is in two counties and each has adopted an ordinance to collect the extra fee, then the surcharge would be prorated and divided between each.
According to the Indiana General Assembly’s fiscal impact statement, the bill, if it became law, would likely cause a minimal workload increase for the DNR. The impact statement also states that if the extra fee causes a decrease in visits, then entrance revenue may decrease. If the extra fee causes an increase of annual pass purchases, then revenue from annual passes would increase.
Increases to local revenue would depend on whether a county adopts an ordinance to collect the extra fee. That would also depend on the number of paying vehicles that enter a state park or recreation area in the county.
If the bill passes, it will become law July 1st.
The Indiana DNR declined to comment on this story.
