GOVERNOR SNYDERS PROPOSED $35.00 & $45.00 ORV STICKER FEE'S

[TopWop]

just like every thing else in are economy. everything goes up in price but wages stay the same and some go down.

My wife does all the grocery shopping [ most of the time ] but once in awhile I will lurk into the grocery store to pick-up on a few items, and MAN, I simply cannot believe how much groceries have went up.

I dont know how those that have to drive 50+ miles just to get to work on 9 bucks an hour, can survive. Add kids and a wife to that--------------impossible.

[TopWop]

Not very many folks showed up but was still an interesting meeting.

We got to hear from the new DNR Chief of Parks & Recreation guy, Ron Olson. To me, many folks who work for the DNR, are usually politically swayed, one way or the other. Ron appeared to have a very sincere desire to make our sport much better, without the political overlay. He is new to this position and admits that he still has a lot to learn about our sport. He supports a new sticker fee increase and has A LOT to learn about the mis-management within our sport. I will soon be discussing this mis-manage with him, one on one, so that he has a clear understanding of why many folks do not support a fee increase, without first addressing the issue's that been hampering our sport for years.

Learned that this ORV sticker fee increase is NOT going well over with the politicians in Lansing. Most want nothing to do with raising fee's when Michigan residents are hurting for cash and the high costs of fuel.

 

[flintpunk]

TopWop,
Was the meeting held last night or is it next week?  If it's next week, count me in!

Later,
Al

[TopWop]

TopWop,
Was the meeting held last night or is it next week?  If it's next week, count me in!

Later,
Al

Sorry my friend, the meeting was last night.

The NEXT meeting will take place on 5-9-12

We will have a far better idea in this meeting if ORV sticker fee's are going to be higher.

Maybe a few folks can plan ahead for this meeting, and go down there with me.

I have room for 3 riders in my Equinox. It takes about one hour to drive down to our meeting spot in Lansing.

We can meet at the Courtland Mall parking lot in Burton, and car pool with me, from there.

Bill

[TopWop]

Sorry, dup post

[TopWop]

Off-road vehicle fans may get hit in pocketbook; proposal would hike license fees
Published: Monday, March 12, 2012, 6:46 PM
  By Melissa Anders | manders@mlive.com

Four-wheeling and off-road driving could get more expensive in Michigan under a proposal that would more than double the vehicle license fees.
Gov. Rick Snyder recommended increasing the off-road vehicle license fee from $16.25 per year to $35 starting in fiscal 2013, and then up to $45 the following year.

Much of the funds go toward maintaining and improving some 3,200 miles of trails - work that Bill Gilbert said is greatly needed.
But Gilbert, director of the Michigan ORV Safety Association in Burton, said he's concerned about the fee hike.
"More and more people are not going to be able to afford this sport," he said. "Some of these families have three, four, five dirt bikes or four wheelers."

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will discuss the fee proposal at a House subcommittee hearing at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
Michigan last raised its ORV license fee from $10 to $16.25 in 1996.

The state's ORV trail program has been dipping into reserve funds as expenses have exceeded revenues. The trail improvement reserve fund is expected to drop to zero by the end of this fiscal year in September.

The state expects to bring in about $3.1 million for trail improvements through the sale of more than 194,000 licenses this fiscal year.
"In order to continue to grow the program and enhance the program, there is a need to increase the revenue source to do that," said Steve Kubisiak, the DNR's recreation and trails program coordinator.
Under the current set up, $1 from the fee goes to an ORV safety education fund, 25 cents goes to dealers that sell the licenses, and the remaining $15 goes for trail improvements and restoration, law enforcement and program administration.

The new fee would set aside $2 from each license for safety education, Kubisiak said. Funds are distributed through grants to school districts and sheriff's offices to provide safety training to youth.The fee would grow to $45 in 2014, and then adjust for inflation every five years.

Gilbert from the Michigan ORV Safety Association agrees a fee increase is needed. But he wants more accountability over the use of those funds.
"The department is paying these funds to groups to do sub-par work," he said, referring to nonprofit clubs that receive grants to maintain and improve trails. "(The DNR has) to do a MUCH better job of making sure these trails are taken care of and make sure these funds are going for their INTENDED purposes and not wasted.

DNR field staff reviews the groups' work, Kubisiak said.
"To my knowledge the clubs are doing a good job in maintaining the trails," he said.

Great Lakes Four Wheel Drive Association received about $12,000 this fiscal year to conduct maintenance work on about 140 miles of trails.
Groups that don't properly maintain their assigned trails don't continue to receive state funding, said Bob DeVore, president of the four-wheel drive association in Grand Blanc.
DeVore said the fee increase is greatly needed to maintain the trails, which are used by everyone from ORV drivers to mushroom hunters.
"We're trying to make as many multiple use trails ... to accommodate all user groups," he said.

The extra $18.75 per license is likely to discourage some ORV owners. The state anticipates a 5 percent drop in licenses if the increase goes into effect next fiscal year.

In a Michigan State University study released in 2010, 62 percent of about 860 ORV license holders surveyed said they were not willing to pay more for their license to improve the ORV program.
Among the 38 percent who were willing to pay more, 54 percent said they would pay $5 more, 31 percent would pay an additional $10, 5 percent would pay up to $15 more and 10 percent were willing to pay more than $15 dollars additional.
The legislature would have to pass bills in order to change the fee and adjust the education program funding level.
In comparison, the snowmobile trail permit fee is $45, up from $25 in 2008. The funds are used to maintain more than 6,400 miles of trails statewide.
The Michigan Snowmobile Association surveyed snowmobile owners prior to fee legislation in 2008 that showed 80 percent supported the increases.

Email Melissa Anders at manders@mlive.com. Follow her on Twitter: @MelissaDAnders.

[355REDNECK]

hope he dosent raise it

[Swampthing]

Well, i had a interesting meeting last saturday also.. and at this meeting Mr Gilbert was present.   It seems like for a man who is complaining about how well the trails are maintained..  he doesn't maintain a single trail.  Typical wanna be politician.  Complain about everything, and expect others to do the actual work.  

   It was funny.. not once was the fee increase mentioned at this meeting. The DNR doesn't have a clue if its going to be raised or not. right now they have no idea if they work for the DNR or the parks and recreation commitee. Isn't change fun.....


  The odd part about the fee increase to me.. Is someone will buy a case of beer for  $15-$20 dollars.  Spend $1500 dollars on a set of tires.  Or  spend $300 dollars for a concert ticket.  The cost of a orv sticker, might hurt, but atleast your dollars stay IN MICHIGAN.


 And yes. i do have a voice in this, I myself maintain 35 miles of orv route and mccct trail.  I was out yesterday and cut or moved 55 trees in a 8 mile motorcyle loop.


 The fee increase is going to happen. No doubt about it.. I don't like it either, but in 1995  gas prices was $1.15 a gallon  that might get a 1/4 of a gallon nowadays.  The cost of doing business has gone up. Trust me i own my own business too.  


 Another thing they have talked about, was the fact that they are in the process of openning up over 150 miles of new trail in the state.. most of it is quad and motorcycle trail.But atleast they are working on it.


 For those of you who think that the DNR doesn't care about the 4x4 community. They did in the last few years put in the rock courses at the mounds and St helen. They also acknowledged the fact that the 4x4 community wants more or a "challenge" on the orv truck routes. So there is talk about "developing" a few challenges.


 If you take the impending orv sticker increase as a way to measure how long change takes.. Things won;t change immediatly.  It takes time. but atleast they are listening.  


 They are also open for suggestions. If you have any good suggestions. let me know, and i will pass them on..  But.. they would have more clout, if they came from a club, but . They are still open minded.


 The last tidbit i am going to add is this.. We have people coming to michigan from all over the United States to ride our trails.  Why do they come here?  We have the best marked trail systems in the entire United States.    Remember tourism is keeping alot of mom and pop corner stores open.

[TopWop]

Well, i had a interesting meeting last saturday also.. and at this meeting Mr Gilbert was present.   It seems like for a man who is complaining about how well the trails are maintained..  he doesn't maintain a single trail.  Typical wanna be politician.  Complain about everything, and expect others to do the actual work.  

What in the world does ME not doing trail maintenance, have to do with complaining about the condition of them? And just to add to your embarrassment, I have indeed, done trail maintenance MANY times before with MATVA. And let me tell you something else, ANYBODY who pays for a ORV sticker, has every right to complain about poor trail maintenance because they pay into the fund and  should expect their dollars to go for the 'intended' purposes and not line the pockets of some non-profits to do sub-standard trail work. It might be OK with you to see our ORV dollars being mis-used and abused, but it's not OK with myself & many others. We want the DNR to be held accountable for the mis-use,deceit, and corruption that's been stemming  within our sport BEFORE we approve of a nickle increase in ORV fee's.
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''Typical wanna be politician, complain about everything and expect others to do the work''

I wont even merit you with a response to such a childish comment because anybody who knows me,  knows the amount of time I spend for the advancement of our sport,both in meetings and within Lansing.

And don't be so darn quick to say this fee increase is going to happen. We sent tons of letters into the politicians who sponsored the last fee increase in 2010, and guess what?--------------It never happened!

 


 

[RIP_K52007]

All I got to say is the same solution I have to any government funded program.


Make the budget public information, maybe even live/daily/weekly updated information online. Covering how every cent is spent. With computers today it wouldn't be hard to set up a system that does it automaticly since pretty much everything is bought with the slide of a card.

That way we could ALL see where the $ goes from money going in to buying vehicles, maintence, payroll even fuel.

Pass that idea along. Ken proctor tried applying it to Michigans budget and nobody would listen.

[TopWop]

lilred,
Maybe I'm mis-understanding your post but the Government does not fund our ORV program in Michigan. Our sport is funded directly from user's who pay their 16.25 ORV sticker fee's each year.

Granted, the DNR is a Government entity and they are the ones responsible for ''distributing'' our ORV dollars, but our sport is not funded by the government.

Im with you, transparency into when, how, who, where, spends our ORV $$, is a great idea

[RIP_K52007]

I know its not goverment ran, but the same idea could/should apply