Lawmakers oppose sled fund transfer
By NANCY MADSEN
TIMES STAFF WRITER
MONDAY, MAY 5, 2008
Both state Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, and Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, R-Gouverneur, want to block the state from moving $1 million out of the Snowmobile Trail Development and Maintenance Fund, a designated account, into the general fund.
Snowmobilers pay fees to register with the state — $45 if a member of a club and $100 if not. The state puts all but $10 of the fees into the designated fund, which helps clubs maintain, place signs on and groom about 11,000 miles of trails statewide. Snowmobile clubs are reimbursed based on the miles of trail they maintain and their maintenance logs.
Sen. Aubertine sent a letter to state Budget Director Laura L. Anglin, asking her to reconsider the transfer. The account had about $7 million, with $6.25 million of that committed for trail maintenance from the winter.
"This sweep creates a deficit in the trail fund, which will impact the ability to begin trail work early in the next season," Sen. Aubertine wrote in the April 28 letter.
Ms. Scozzafava has sent petitions to be circulated around local snowmobile clubs and signed a petition with about 12 other Assembly Republicans. The petitions call for the money to be returned.
"When this fund was created, we trusted the state to use this money for its stated purpose — to improve snowmobiling across New York," she said in a press release. "That clearly has not been the case."
Local clubs — there are about 250 across the state — may see less money as a result of the transfer, said Gary R. Stinson, president of the Barnes Corners Sno-Pals club.
"The thing that is irritating is that it's a dedicated fund — not taxpayers' money," he said. "This is the users of a sport supporting their own sport."
For a club like Sno-Pals, missing any reimbursement makes money tight. The club racked up 900 hours of grooming from November to March, paying at least $18,000 for fuel.
The clubs have traditionally received a 70 percent reimbursement in November and a 30 percent reimbursement later. But the clubs received their 70 percent checks just last week.
"The clubs did all the work this winter without money up front," said Scott M. Burto, Jefferson County's trail coordinator.
With the state's sweep of the $1 million from the fund, this adds more money worries for clubs.
"I'm concerned about them never receiving the 30 percent and continued support of recreation as a whole in the north country and statewide," Mr. Burto said.
Zurück
