In this episode of our local program Making Democracy Work, host Amanda Stadler speaks with Laura Hendrickson, director of the Missouri Division of State Parks.
Stadler: Missouri has 93 state parks and historic sites that cover a wide variety of things: Homes of famous Missourians to covered bridges to waterways, all of which are administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. And the funding for the parks will be impacted by an item that will be on the August 4th ballot, which is Amendment 1. Can you kind of talk us through big picture? How are the parks funded?
Hendrickson: Amendment 1, as it's referred to and will be shown on the ballot, is a tax that has been in place since 1984. Missouri State Parks, we share this sales tax with the conservation and water and soil conservation program. Think of a penny. We get one half of one tenth of $0.01 on every dollar. And that provides 75% of our funding. The other 25% of our total budget is from our earnings through camping fees, concessions. And then we do get some federal funding. So, 75% of our entire budget is based on that sales tax, and it's been in place. This is a renewal. It is not a new tax. And it's been in place for over four decades. It's been voted upon four different times and passed. There's a sunset clause in that tax. It does go to the voters every 10 years for their approval. Some people say that, well, don't you want it to be permanent? And I would say to that, no, not necessarily, because if it goes to vote, we know we're doing the right thing. We know we're doing good things. And so, having it go to the voters, it's important and it kind of keeps — it's a check and balance.
Stadler: I love that perspective of how of why it keeps going back to the voters. Can you share a little bit about how the tax began originally?
Hendrickson: Originally, it goes back a long time. State parks were in — 1917, basically, was when we got our first state parks. And, originally, that tax was part of a conservation tax. And in 1930 and we got like 25% of hunting license, so that was dedicated for parks. This is way back when we only had like five parks. And then through the years in 1936, there was a constitutional amendment that separated, that no longer gave any funding to state parks. Some of probably hunters and anglers didn't want their money going towards that possibly, but anyway, so there was no funding. Then the mill tax came in. There was a mill tax by Congress, but in 1972 the mill tax expired. And so, again, state parks were struggling for funding. A group, the Missouri Parks Association, this grassroots coalition that gathered in about 1982. And by 1984, they said, you know what? How about this? We put soils and parks together. Missouri had a very high soil erosion problem, and parks were struggling to find some stable, dedicated funding. This was a tax that would benefit all Missourians, whether you're urban or rural. Everybody cares about resources, their park, natural resources, the soil erosion. So, it seemed to be kind of an odd couple but a really good couple in the long run. And so, then since then, that was when it was first on the ballot, and then it has appeared every 10 years thereafter and passed.
Stadler: A very small tax that has a very big impact across the state.
Hendrickson: It's a huge investment for Missouri state parks and the state. You're right.
Stadler: Is that funding model unique with other state park systems across the country?
Hendrickson: Yes. Interesting you would say that. Missouri is only one of eight states that remains that has no admission fees. We don't charge for parking. We don't charge to get in. It costs the average Missourian about $10 a year. And you go to other states across the nation — Colorado, California, it's $10 per day just to get in. So it's a huge, significant savings for Missourians. If you've ever been out of state, you would realize that. But Missourians choosing to invest in their state. Well, Arkansas, for example, Arkansas passed a similar tax, a dedicated funding source. And I think that was, you know, gosh, it's probably 5 to 7 years ago by now, but I just got a call from the State of Oklahoma, and they are considering a potential similar structure to provide dedicated funding source for their state. Missouri is unique in that we have soil and water protection with our parks. That is very unique. I don't know of any other state that is structured that way. Other states do have dedicated funding sources, though, but it's just different.
Stadler: What is something that you wish Missourians knew about our parks?
Hendrickson: Our parks are extremely special. We have 93 across Missouri. That is a lot. If you look at other states across the nation, we have a huge variety of resources and historic sites, natural resources, water resources. We are a large system. And Missouri — for nine times we've been voted in the top four systems in the nation. It's a strong system, and we have so much to offer. And we're continuing to improve our campgrounds, improve the products that we have for our visitors. I mean, it's an exciting time for us. We are just finishing up some of our revenue bond projects. We've got just a lot going on, and there's a lot of changes and improvements going on, so it's just an exciting time.