B.C. Parks fee increase
BC Parks just recently increased their fees. While i suppose it's something that was overdue (it's been 5 years), i find it funny that they claim they have to do this due to an increase in users!! A d...
Forum Discussion
bob_nestor wrote:
I was told years ago by a campground host at a Corp of Engineers campground that the costs for building and maintaing the campgrounds came directly out of the Department of Defense budget, but all the camping fees went directly into the General Fund. So on paper COE campgrounds always run a deficit, and in recent times many of them have been closed down as a result.
I don't think that's been true for many years.
The 2015 budget for the Corps of Engineers estimates the Corps will receive about $44 million in 'Special Recreation User Fees' which includes campgrounds, day use and leased operations. Page 4.
COE 2015 Budget Request
While the individual campground receipts are usually deposited into a general Treasury Department General Fund account - the Corps keeps track of the amounts and most of the money counts as a direct appropriation to the district which operates the campground.
The National Parks get to use 80% of their collected user fees for user beneficial items within the parks. I can't see why the COE would be treated differently by the Congress.
Our Congress for years has made forcing users to bear the true costs of the benefits they receive from things like recreation a major priority - and it will only get more emphasis with the new congress.
There is also an agenda item among the new majority in Congress to turn COE recreation over to the individual states, to contract out or close all campgrounds not accepted by the states and get the Corps out of the recreation business.
