Home » Letters to the Editor » AZ State Parks Foundation President accuses Rep. John Kavanagh of destroying Park System

AZ State Parks Foundation President accuses Rep. John Kavanagh of destroying Park System

Bill Meek, President Arizona State Parks Foundation rebuts Rep. John Kavanagh, Chairman House Appropriations Committee position to withhold funding for State Parks:  As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. John Kavanagh (R-Dist 8), has almost single-handedly destroyed the State Parks System, trashing some of Arizona’s irreplaceable assets and wrecking an enterprise that contributes nearly $300 million annually to the state’s economy.

The Governor’s Task Force on Sustainable State Parks recommended a permanent funding source for parks to avoid the raids the Legislature has repeatedly made on Parks funds.  HCR2040 reflects that recommendation by applying a $9 yearly fee to be collected at the same time that auto registrations are renewed.  In return, autos with Arizona license plates would be admitted free to State Parks.

There is nothing unconstitutional about it.  Our legal advice is that the Parks fee is not part of the vehicle license tax and does not violate Article 9, Section 14 of the State Constitution.  The fee applies only to non-commercial vehicles and not to the many other vehicles that are licensed in Arizona.  Besides, the registration process already includes an add-on fee for the Department of Environmental Quality that is not used for roads.

Mr. Kavanagh changes his reason for opposing Parks funding when it suits him.  He recently responded to Sam Campana, director of Arizona Audubon, that he prefers HB2060.  That bill would take $40 million from the Land Conservation Fund to support Arizona State Parks and other agencies.  But that would really be unconstitutional because the Voter Protection Act covers the Land Conservation Fund, and he knows it.  He has told others that he favors privatization of State Parks, even though private operators would never touch two-thirds of the state parks.

The Arizona State Parks Foundation is merely asking that state voters be given the chance to decide if they want to keep State Parks open.  Mr. Kavanagh has starved the state park system to death without asking any voters, but he seems to have problems with voter decisions.  Not only does he want to keep this decision from voters, he has voted to kill the Arizona State Parks half of the Heritage Fund (see Forty-ninth Legislature – Seventh Special Session HB2012 & SB1012) authorized by voters and he wants to repeal the voter-approved Land Conservation Fund so that the money collected to preserve open space can go to the bottomless pit of the state general fund.

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