DNR suggests higher fees, naming rights at state parks [View all]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The simmering budget fight over Wisconsin’s state parks looks ready to boil over after the Department of Natural Resources recommended lawmakers raise admission fees again, build more electrified camping sites and sell naming rights.
Democrats on the Legislature’s finance committee are dusting off their old arguments, warning that the moves could make parks too expensive for families and that naming rights won’t generate enough money to make the parks self-sustaining.
“How many times can you raise fees before it becomes unaffordable for Wisconsin families?” the Democrats said in a Dec. 5 letter to DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp
Republicans removed all state support for Wisconsin’s parks in the 2015 budget, leaving the parks to survive on fees alone. They raised admission and camping fees, increasing them by $3 to $11 depending on the park, but the DNR still projects the lack of state support will leave a $1.4 million annual deficit in the agency’s parks account.
Read more: http://www.leadertelegram.com/News/Daily-Updates/2016/12/11/DNR-suggests-higher-fees-naming-rights-at-state-parks.html