Dear Editor:
Sunday's News Tribune reported that the Conservation Federation of Missouri committee has voted to support "installing the eastern segment of the Rock Island Trail and the creation of four new state parks." One glaring omission seems to be that they did not vote on who was going to pay for it.
State Parks Director Ben Ellis said that just the Rock Island Trail would cost $66-80 million to construct and would cost another $100,000 annually to manage the land. In March 2017, KOMU reported that the Missouri state park system had an estimated $400 million in unfunded capital improvement projects and infrastructure needs.
Seventy-five percent of park system funding comes from half of the one-tenth percent parks, soils and water sales tax. I couldn't find specific information on the parks actual budget. Missouri's 4.225 percent sales and use tax raised $2.147 billion in 2017. This leads me to believe that the entire state parks annual spending must be about $34 million ($25 million from the tax and $9 million from user fees).
I am not necessarily opposed to more parks, but if we want more parks then we first need to pay to adequately maintain the ones we have. If the Conservation Federation of Missouri is going to promote buying and developing more parks I expect them to show a modicum of fiscal responsibility by suggesting a funding source.
Getting voters to approve a 10-year increase that would double the amount of money the parks department receives from the existing parks, soils and water sales tax would be a reasonable first step toward satisfying existing needs. At the end of the 10-year period the financial situation with existing parks could be evaluated to determine if funds were available to buy and develop more parks.
Borrowing money and piling debt on our children and grand-children is a revolting practice.
Missouri's January 2018 unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, down from 5.5 percent in January 2008 and the lowest it has been since August 2000. State government should be awash in money with all the new taxpayers. Perhaps more funding for maintaining existing parks can be "found" in existing state coffers.