DNR needs money

[gofishsc]

DNR wants to raise hunting, fishing fees

Facing a $4.9 million cut in a budget already trimmed to the bone, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources is trying to persuade legislators to raise fees for hunting licenses and boat titles to prevent wide-scale layoffs.
The fee increases - $2 per year on the annual hunting and fishing license, $5 on boat titles - is estimated to generate $2.5 million for the agency.
"We have to figure out a way to generate funds, or we're going to continue to see an erosion in law enforcement," DNR director John Frampton said Friday at the monthly Natural Resources Board meeting.


Without the fee increases, Frampton estimates the agency will have to cut its staff by about 70 employees, on the heels of essentially a four-year hiring freeze. The agency's law enforcement division, which patrols the state's waterways and enforces hunting regulations, has been reduced from about 300 to about 200 officers in the past few years.
With the fee increases, the agency could limit staff losses.
"We're still going to have some program cuts," Frampton said. "We're still going to have some layoffs."
The fees gained the approval of the Senate Finance Committee last week, but the budget faces several more votes. Frampton urged the board members to contact their friends in the Senate and House to make the case for leaving the fee increases in the final budget.
Earlier in the board meeting, the Midlands Striper Club handed over to the agency a check for nearly $5,900 to pay for improvements in a fish stocking truck. Frampton thanked the organization, noting that "in these budget times, anything we can get helps."

[fishinguy]

I'll take a user fee over a tax any day. Raise the fees a reasonable amount. Yes, I hunt, fish and own a boat (and am properly licensed/registered to do all of the above).


I will gladly pay more for these activities, because I can CHOOSE not to if I don't want to/can't afford to...But for now, I'll pay to keep our woods and water safe! Keep up the good work DNR.


These fee increases are way too modest considering that these activities do require the use of resources that are supported by taxpayers who do not engage in them yet help to subsidize those who do. What is a reasonable amount. 5 bucks a year for unlimited hunting and fishing rights is a give away. In a cash strapped state economy like this what ever the market will bear should be the rule of thumb. Anybody who can afford a boat and bullets should be able to afford at least $10 per year