Will Gov. Blagojevich propose state park fees during his budget address on Feb. 20?
That possibility was kicked around in Rich Miller’s blog.
While that might seem like a good revenue stream, one state-site super gave me a more nitty-gritty look.
He pointed out you would need two expenditures. First capital funding to build the fee collection booths. Then funding for staffing the booths.
Over the years, legislators have been adamantly against state park fees, thinking it would turn our parks into “merry ole England where only the rich could enjoy the parks.”
Maybe it is now a good idea to at least discuss it.
In our family, I know most years we buy the annual non-resident permit for Indiana for a couple summer visits to Turkey Run SP and Indiana Dunes SP.
We would buy an annual pass for $25 or so for Illinois in a heartbeat, if it meant more stable funding for the state parks.
At the same time, I dread thinking what Blagojevich’s crew would do with a new revenue stream.
