Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
New Mexico State Parks presented a revised proposed fee schedule after receiving pushback from an earlier plan in the spring.
An earlier proposal to eliminate the day-use fee of $5 per vehicle has been placed under review by the state.
Also, an earlier proposal to eliminate fees for annual passes was changed. The new plan would impose substantial increases for those passes:
— Annual day-use passes for New Mexico residents would be $75 (up from the current $40);
— Annual day-use passes for non-residents would be $150 (up from the current $40);
— Annual camping passes for residents would be $300 (up from the current $180);
— Annual camping passes for New Mexico disabled individuals and senior citizens would be $150 (up from the current $100);
— Annual camping passes for non-residents would be $600 (up from the current $225).
The proposal also would implement a $150 annual camping pass for military veterans living in New Mexico.
New Mexico State Parks also reduced a couple of the proposed fee increases for boat registrations:
— Class A vessels, proposed $60 fee (down from the earlier $75);
— Class I vessels, proposed $75 fee (down from the earlier $90).
Fee hikes for Class II, Class III and vessels over 65 feet long did not change from the earlier version.
Other proposed fees didn’t change from the earlier proposal, such as non-resident day-use fee being raised from $5 to $10 and the non-resident developed camping fee being hiked from $10 to $20. Electrical hookups, dump station and parking fee hikes also were unchanged.
But New Mexico State Parks proposes to scale down fee increases in other areas:
— Primitive camping fees for New Mexico residents would be $10 per vehicle (down from the previously proposed $20);
— Primitive camping fees for non-residents would be $15 per vehicle (down from the previous $20);
— Developed camping fees for residents would be $15 per vehicle (down from the previous $20);
— Water and sewer hookups would be $5 a day (down form the previous $10).
The revised fee schedule is projected to bring in an additional $4.8 million in revenue annually to state parks.
The state also wants to adjust its annual passes to eliminate double-booking and fraudulent pass numbers.
Stay limits during the busy season also would be amended to reduce living in parks.
New Mexico State Parks is holding another series of meetings around the state to hear opinions on the revised fee schedule plan, including a session last Tuesday in Tucumcari.
According to documents from state parks, residents during previous listening sessions understood the need to raise some fees and increase revenue for the system.
But eliminating fees for day use prompted concerns about crowding, crime and abuse of resources.
Overall concerns focused on the fact increasing fees hurts people on fixed or limited incomes, the need to boost maintenance and staffing at state parks, concerns about the inconvenience and management of fees and whether to consider dynamic pricing.
New Mexico State Parks compared its fees to other economically disadvantaged states such as Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana. New Mexico’s day-use fee was higher, but its camping fees generally were lower than the other poor states.
New Mexico State Parks also showed its campsite fees were lower than those in Utah, Texas, Colorado and Arizona.
New Mexico State Parks is tentatively scheduled to hold a final rule hearing in July or August, with the new rule changes slated to be adopted in January 2025.