Things are looking decidedly better for our parks
Doug Pizzi | July 20, 2022
The state Legislature on Monday sent a $52.7 billion FY 2023 budget to Gov. Baker for his consideration. The budget contains considerable good news for our state parks, people who frequent them, and those who care for them at the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
If Baker approves the proposed funding for DCR, the Parks and Recreation Operations Account (2810-0100) will see about a $10 million increase, to $85 million, an increase Mass Conservation Voters has been seeking for this account for nearly a year. The Legislature also funded a separate earmarks account, which funds specific projects in lawmaker’s districts, at $8.0 million. MCV had asked lawmakers to keep earmarks out of the general operating budget because every earmark in that budget reduces funding for day-to-day operations by a like amount.
The action comes on the heels of last December’s report from the Special Legislative Commission on DCR, which detailed the agency’s dire predicament stemming from the massive cuts it suffered in the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2009. MCV applauds lawmakers for taking the report seriously and making a big step toward helping the agency recover.
Taking one cue from Gov. Charlie Baker, who also greenlit a strategic readiness initiative for DCR as recommended by the Special Commission, both branches kept Baker’s proposal to eliminate Retained Revenue from being used for DCR’s day-to-day operations, also a Special Commission recommendation. Retained Revenue is the money DCR brings in from fees, leases, and other income, which the agency split 80/20, with the smaller amount going to the state’s General Fund. Over the years, Retained Revenue targets for DCR increased by tens of millions of dollars while general revenue tax dollars fell. This caused the agency to spend valuable time and man hours coming up with and administering new schemes to nickel and dime park users for services that we all ought to be paying for in our state taxes.
There is another bright spot on the horizon as well. Both the House and the Senate seem poised to pass a massive economic development bill before the current legislative session ends on July 31. House Bill H.5034 contains (on Pages 30-31) $175 million for open space investments, $25 million of which would go to communities of color, and an additional $125 million in open space investments in Environmental Justice communities. Senate Bill S.3018 contains (on Page 7) $125 million in open space investments so both chambers will have to settle upon a number to pass the bill. Both bills have the funds being administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in conjunction with the Executive Office of Administration and Finance. While the language discusses the kinds of assets managed by DCR, it is unclear at this point how much of these funds would go to state parks. Watch this space for more details as they become available.
None of this would have been possible without your advocacy on behalf of our parks and your financial support for MCV. We sincerely thank you for that support and we look forward to working with you in the weeks, months, and years ahead. So, together we can lead the way to reimagine a 21st Century park system that meets the twin challenges of climate change and future pandemics while recognizing the importance of free parks and open spaces for our physical and mental health- they are a public health imperative.
So please continue to work with us because the park you save may be your own.
Doug Pizzi is the Executive Director of MCV