Search Results
The following is an archived video story. The text content of that video story is available below
for reference. The original video has been deleted and is no longer available.
License Plate Fee to Help State Parks
Whether people use Illinois state parks to camp, fish, bike or just relax, it's a boost to Illinois' economy. Illinois' Department of Natural Resources, and the state parks it manages, brings a $32 billion economic impact a year. But parks are in desperate need of repair.
"We have roads, roofs, sewers, streets, shelters," DNR director Marc Miller said. "All need repair."
State lawmakers have approved a $2 license plate fee that will be tacked on to the current $99 cost of a basic license plate. The fee is expected to raise $18-$20 million a year, and will help cut into a $750 million backlog in park maintenance created by budget cuts.
"Our budget is reaching a point of critical," Miller said. "Our staffing levels have been reaching a point of critical and this is coming at exactly the right time for us to address those needs to provide those experiences and projects to people who rely on us."
The agency's budget has been slashed from $107 million to $45 million in the past 12 years, and staff has gone from about 2,600 to just under 1,200.
Ken Burke visits Jim Edgar Panther Creek often and said he can tell DNR doesn't have enough resources to keep up with it.
"They've really been cut badly this last year, and there a lot of good people that are being pushed out of their jobs," Burke said.
Miller said DNR may be able to hire more people as a result of the new revenue. It will likely take about nine to 12 months after Gov. Quinn signs the bill before DNR will start receiving the new revenue.
License Plate Fee to Help State Parks
Whether people use Illinois state parks to camp, fish, bike or just relax, it's a boost to Illinois' economy. Illinois' Department of Natural Resources, and the state parks it manages, brings a $32 billion economic impact a year. But parks are in desperate need of repair.
"We have roads, roofs, sewers, streets, shelters," DNR director Marc Miller said. "All need repair."
State lawmakers have approved a $2 license plate fee that will be tacked on to the current $99 cost of a basic license plate. The fee is expected to raise $18-$20 million a year, and will help cut into a $750 million backlog in park maintenance created by budget cuts.
"Our budget is reaching a point of critical," Miller said. "Our staffing levels have been reaching a point of critical and this is coming at exactly the right time for us to address those needs to provide those experiences and projects to people who rely on us."
The agency's budget has been slashed from $107 million to $45 million in the past 12 years, and staff has gone from about 2,600 to just under 1,200.
Ken Burke visits Jim Edgar Panther Creek often and said he can tell DNR doesn't have enough resources to keep up with it.
"They've really been cut badly this last year, and there a lot of good people that are being pushed out of their jobs," Burke said.
Miller said DNR may be able to hire more people as a result of the new revenue. It will likely take about nine to 12 months after Gov. Quinn signs the bill before DNR will start receiving the new revenue.
