11-14-1994 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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V‘i • \ [■ i dollar bills Georgia {| l«gi»Uture appiwed • S25 million bond to help Gov. Zell AWler (D), a sportsman and conienationisi. iiiUill his promise to protect 100.000 seres during His first term. .About a third of the SI00 million program is funded by an increase in hunting and fishing fees, a third by general appropria- tions. and another third by federal Hinds and donations. Kentucky created a Heritage Land Consenation Fund to pay for nature preserves, state parks, foresu. and wild rivers. The fund wll raise about So to S7 million annually from three sources: en%-i- ronmental license plates, ens-ironmental fines, and — here’s a new one! — a share of the unmined minerals tax. Revenues on the latter tax are expected to increase as a result of the state s CIS s\stem. The fund has good support from Cov. Brereton C. Jones (D) and business, tim ber. and coal interests as well as the en\n- ronmentai communin-. It provides grants for sute. local, and private proiecu. and S800.000 for coal education. Kentucky lawmakers also set up a trust fund for operations from a set-aside from park user fees. A new SIO million dedicated park fund app rov ed in North Carolusa. The fund tareets e.xpected increments in real estate transfer taxes lor state parks, endangered lands, cin- and counn- parks, and beach access. It has strong support from Gov. James B. Hunt (D). local newspapers, and a broad civic alliance. Passage was held up. however, by a key state lawmaker opposed to dedicated revenues (although not to helping parks). .Another vote is needed next session to ensure the full set-aside of ta.\ revenues. higher yields .After recent ravaging floods. Missouri officials want to bey 6*1.000 acres of flood-damaged river frontage and return it to forests and wildlife habttat. The U.S. Department of .Agriculture and Fish and Wildlife Service will buv easements and land. Analyses show that moving homes and farms away from the n\ er is cheaper than constructing levees and clearing heavily silted land to rebuild. .Missouri is setting aside SIO million for partnership purchases, thanks to revenues from its 1/8 cent dedicated sales ta-x. .AUssouri ’s Nature Conserv ancx- office is helping state and federal oincials and farmers knit the novel arrangement (osether .Marcia Reiss, of New York Citx 's Parks Council, wants to remove the cin*’s parks department from the citj- bureau- crac>-. She proposes a strong parks com mission. vvith authoritx* to raise ta.xes and park user fees and dedicate the revenues to park spending. New Aork Citx* now spends less than half of 1 percent of its budget on parks and deposits fee revenues in the ciw treasutx-. Reiss also points to the cin ’s good e.xperience vvith Bm ant Park and other special improvement districts, where commercial real estate owners pay a propern* tax add-on to upgrade and improve public spaces. new DEALS Fast-growing Denver gains S2 million a year for parks and open space from a cit\'-owned ski area 90 miles away. The cin’s Winter Park is operated under a pri vate lease which generated only S".000 a vear until recently. Denver Ma\*or % Wellington Webb is credited with negoti ating the new arrangement and targeting increased revenues to land acquisition an< recreation facilities. The cin* has some unique open space opportunities, includ ing Sttpleton airport and a soon-to-be- decommissioned militaiy airbase. More help to pay for land conservation «s on thv way. thanks to the state s CO Colorado fund and a public-private fund-raising in: dative sparked by Laurie Mathews, Colorado's sute park director, and the Conserv ’arion Fund. A new state law enables California cities and communhiei to create special diitricu and provide ongoing, stable funding of loealfy based efforts to pre serve species, habitat, and open space. The funding source for these habiut maintenance assessment districu. as ihev are known, will come from a propern* , assessment approved by voters for a penod of up to 30years. Revenues are to be dedicated to acquisition and manage ment of wildlife habiut in conjunenon with California's Department of Fish and Game. .An historic railroad trail is the core oft S3 million plan to preserv*e 1,2-10 tim- berland acres for Washington State. .A coalition of hikers. environmenuUsts. an. kav akers organized by the Riverlands 1 A til