Marine Board Adopts Budget Cuts, Fee Increase
The Oregon State Marine Board, Oregon's recreational boating agency, wrestled with its most difficult budget crisis in years during an arduous meeting in Gold Beach on June 25. During a meeting peppered with difficult questions, the Board eventually balanced its operating budget by cutting facilities development, law enforcement and education programs to the tune of $1.3 million from current service levels. They followed that action by adopting fee increases that would not only fill the void, but also provide enhancements to boating facilities, law enforcement and educational efforts.
"It was a difficult meeting," said Paul Donheffner, Oregon State Marine Board Director. "The Board asked hard questions about how cuts would affect boaters and what could be done to reverse the trend. The answers were certainly not simple."
Whether or not the cuts or the new fees remain intact for the 2003-05 biennium is up to the Governor and the 2003 Oregon Legislature. The budget package will now be forwarded to the Governor as he develops his overall budget package, then to the legislature for review. "We believe this is a responsible package that, with the fee increases, will benefit boaters," said Donheffner.
While the new budget would become effective in July of 2003, any fee increases would not become effective until November of 2003 for the 2004 boating year.
The 2001 Legislature anticipated the problem, directing the Board to convene a working group to study boat fees and the need for increases. The working group, which consisted of various boating interests and stakeholders, recommended the fee increase that the Board adopted. "The alternative of cutting programs was not acceptable to the working group and stakeholders," said Donheffner.
The proposed cuts are necessary because boat registrations have been flat or declining relative to inflation since 1997. The Marine Board receives no general fund tax dollars – all fund are raised by boat registration and title fees, motorboat gas tax revenues and federal dollars related to the Sport Fish Restoration program. "The decline has hit our facilities development section especially hard," said Donheffner. "The dollars available to improve or repair boat ramps, parking lots, floats and restrooms have shrunk steadily since 1997. This year's gap was too large to absorb by yet-again deferring projects. The cuts the board approved amount to thousands of patrol hours, dozens of facilities projects and a number of the publications that help boaters locate facilities and enjoy them safely," said Donheffner.
Here is an overview of the action:
- 2003-05 Budget: Projected "other fund" revenues for the 2003-05 biennium are estimated at $1.3 million below current service levels. The Marine Board must submit a balanced budget, therefore services will be cut to match expected revenues. The cuts adopted by the Board are split three ways with 18 percent of the cut coming from administration and education ($236,000); 45 percent from Law Enforcement ($590,000); and 37 percent from Facilities ($485,000). This equates to 20,000 hours of marine law enforcement and dozens of potential facilities projects. The $485,000 cut from Facilities is on top of nearly $2 million cut from the program compared to 1997 service levels. Popular publications such as the Oregon Boating Facilities Guide, the Willamette River Recreation Guide and numerous safety brochures will not be reprinted either.
- Fee Increase: The Board adopted a proposal for new fees that will restore the Law Enforcement Program to current levels and will restore the Facilities Program to 1997 levels. The new fee structure is as follows:
- Boat titles increase from current $7 fee to $30 (one-time fee with purchase of boat).
- Fees for duplicate boat titles and registration decals increase from $3 to $15.
- Current boat registration fee structure is replaced by a flat $3 per foot fee. As an average comparison, a 16 foot motorboat currently costs $25 per two years. To register that boat for the 2004-2005 period will cost $48.
While board members agreed that fee increases "aren't any fun," they agreed that they were necessary in this situation and that boaters would see tangible benefits. "The increase is less than $12 per year for the average 16 foot boat," said Board Member Jim Whitty, of Coquille. "The cost of registration is the cheapest part of owning a boat. I don't think that will keep anyone from boating and it's worth it for good boat ramps and law enforcement." Chair Court Boice noted that even with an increase, Oregon's registration rates will remain low compared to other western states.
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Project To Improve Boat Access on Coquille
A grant to purchase a key 0.63 acre parcel of land at head of tide on the Coquille River in Coos County was approved by the Oregon State Marine Board at the June 25 meeting in Gold Beach.
"This parcel adjoins an acre of land purchased in 1999 to provide boating access to this section of the river," said Oregon State Marine Board Facilities Program Manager Ron Rhodehamel. "This acquisition is important because it will allow us to provide a good traffic flow to the ramp with more parking, too. We're very lucky to have this piece of land become available – it will be a great benefit for boaters."
The Port of Coquille River requested the $8,915 to purchase the land, which is immediately adjacent to Bryant Park in Myrtle Point. An existing house on the parcel is dilapidated and not habitable and will be removed. The Port of Coquille is providing $2,229 in cash matching funds to remove the house and prepare the site.
The grant comes from funds generated through boat registration and title fees, and motorboat fuel tax revenues. "This is a good example of boaters seeing direct benefits from the fees they pay to boat," said Rhodehamel.
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Pumpout, Dump Station Benefits Portland Boaters
The Oregon State Marine Board approved a $17,500 grant to replace a worn pumpout at Riverplace Marina on the Willamette River in downtown Portland with a new pumpout and dumpstation. The action came during the June 25 Marine Board meeting in Gold Beach.
The existing pumpout is failing and in need of replacement. It well exceeded its expected 10-year life span, according to the Marine Board. "This is an important project because it's the only pumpout for 20 river miles," said Marine Board Facilities Program Manager Ron Rhodehamel. "It's heavily used by the public. Plus, the dump station is a new benefit for people who use portable toilets, something we want to encourage."
Pumpouts and dump stations are available at 55 locations across the state with more being added as funds permit. "Just like our shoreside restrooms and floating restrooms, these facilities help keep human waste out of our waters. We've noted a continual increase in the use of these facilities, so we believe they are making a difference."
Funds for the project come from federal Clean Vessel Act dollars, distributed to states via the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Sport Fish Restoration Program. Sport Fish Restoration Funds are generated by an excise tax on fishing equipment.
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