State parks look for cash flow

Monday, May 20, 2002 | 9:13 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- About $32 million in renovations at Nevada's 24 state parks and the opening of a new park in Douglas County are being delayed because of a lack of money, the head of the park system said.

Wayne Perock, administrator of the state Parks Division, says more parks will be needed as Nevada's population continues to grow.

Perock appeared last week before the Governor's Task Force on Taxes to outline the plight of the system and offered suggestions on how to help pay for the maintenance and operation of parks.

He suggested a $50 annual fee imposed on recreational vehicles and motor homes or an added tax on sporting goods such as tents, stoves and other camping gear.

Another suggestion is a lottery, which could produce $10.5 million, or give the park system a small part of the property tax, Perock said. He also suggested the system should be given a little more money from the hotel room tax.

Task Force members asked him whether park fees could be raised, but he said, "Park users can pay only so much," and noted that fees charged in Nevada are in line with other Western states.

"Parks were never intended to be money-makers," he said.

The "honor system" by which visitors place their fee into an envelope when entering an unattended park has not proved successful, he said. The only way to ensure the money is collected is to post an employee at the park entrance, but Perock said he doesn't have the staff for that.

Valley of Fire State Park northeast of Las Vegas is the only area that comes close to breaking even on its charges and expenditures, he said. Valley of Fire generates about $527,000 a year in revenue, or about 95 percent of what it costs to operate.

The rest of the parks in the system generate less than 60 percent of what they cost. For instance operation and maintenance costs total $17 per user at Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort. But the fort takes in only $1.13 per user, leaving a deficit of $156,730 per year.

Perock told the task force he wants to get his agency away from relying on the state's general fund and rely more on dedicated revenues. About 50 percent of his $9 million-a-year operational budget comes from the state.