Wasington Sledders Legislature Reaching for Your Wallet

[DOO DAWG]

Discussion HERE
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,122124.0.html


Bill Would Increase Snowmobile Registration Fees & Change Sno-Park Pass
« on: Yesterday at 12:37:48 PM »QuoteSenate Bill 5889 would increase snowmobile registration fees and was introduced March 29th. The bill has bipartisan support.
Currently the fee (initial and renewal) is $30. The fee would increase to $40 until July 1, 2014. Effective July 1, 2014 the fee would increase to $50.
Right now if you are issued a snowmobile registration you are also given a Sno-Park pass. This changes that and the bill says you may be charged an additional fee for the Sno-Park pass. Current law says you cannot be charged a fee for the pass.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2013&bill=5889

Better contact your legislators!!

http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

 

[winter brew]

Umm....the vast majority of sledders have been begging for this for years. You have to pay to play, it costs more and more every year to just maintain what we have.

 

[Uncle si]

Make it $80 and it is a deal. We've got three months of sledding left and the grooming is done!

 

[WaBackcountry]

Umm....the vast majority of sledders have been begging for this for years. You have to pay to play, it costs more and more every year to just maintain what we have.

Can you show me the statistics you are using for this statement. And a poll on Snowest doesn't count.

In two years it will cost an additional $20 to register a sled. That is almost double. And what added benefits will that person receive if they don't purchase a Snowpark Pass and use WA Snoparks. Nothing!

For those of you that don't use Snowparks...you are getting screwed!

 

[740himrk]

Im going to contact them and tell them Way To Go! we need the extra money to keep the trails groomed and the snowparks plowed. 80.00 bucks for registration aint nothing compared to the 150 in diesel,gas and oil needed to ride 1 sled every weekend.
And how many places are theere to unload that arent designated snowparks?
Also just rode Sicamoius a couple weeks ago and it was 20.00 a person to unload a day. So that cost us 60.00 a day just to unload with 3 of us in the truck. 80.00 bucks is only 4 days of riding in Canada!

 

[800 Escape]

If they really use it to maintain the trails & parking lots it would be great & $150 in diesel, gas & oil is cheap, I spend $70-$100 every ride just for the sled

 

[blindman]

support realistic costs

I too am willing to pay more, as the old fees seem from the sixties.

pretty sure with fuel and equipment costs..not alone the labor, we snowmobilers have been getting a pretty good deal for years.

But in my opinion would like to go someways in the way the canadians do it where we would have some control.

sled registration....$75.00
Snowpark permit....$75.00
enhanced area fees for areas getting special stuff..like chalets, new trail systems ... another $75.00

why not. boaters buy the boat tabs...then trailer tabs ...then pay to launch every time. why are we so ****ing special. and the boaters also get the gas tax rebate to programs.

my only complaint is charge the skiers and bikers the same.

 

[snomoman]

well if the bark lickers keep getting their way,I don't see to many people buying registrations no matter what they cost. Like poor Idaho

 

[ripalip2]

Me and my wife like having groomed trails to get to the off trail areas we ride, I don't mind paying a little more as long as all the money goes to the grooming program and it's real nice not having to chain up to get in the snow park area. It cost me about $100 a day for us to ride but we love this sport so we will pay the $20 per sled per year to register no problem.

 

[WaBackcountry]

You guys don't get it. It will cost you more to register a snowmobile than a car. And that is without the additional fee for a snowpark permit.

Don't let your passion for this sport blind you of common sense.

Yes. Tabs need to go up. Yes, its fair to charge separately for people that use snow parks. But this is a big state, and many people that ride are going to see the fee to register a sled almost double and they will get nothing.

 

[boondocked]

Does it actually say the extra money is going to the grooming fund? What if they are just charging extra and keeping everything else the same?

 

[WaBackcountry]

This horse has been beat long dead but here we go again.

Yes, we are "promised" that the extra money will go to grooming. But that is not the point. If you Sally's want more grooming fine. Pay for it with the SnowPark permit but its not fair to almost double someones registration fees because you are to lazy to put chains on or ride some whoops on the trail up. For the record, I will shell out the extra $40 bucks for Snowpark permit because I don't want a ticket but I would rather not pay and ride the whoops or chain up to get to the trail. But its BS that some hillbilly in eastern washington has to pay an extra $20 to register his sled to subsidize all the westside folks that want a plowed parking lot and groomed trails.

 

[snowhunter1]

I agree, we do need to raise more funds for are snow park systems. With the increase tab fees of 10 to 20 dollars, why not also put a toll shack at the major snow parks and charge each person for that trail system they are using that day, say 5 to 10 dollars each. This should include the CC ski parks also! We should also be paying for the snow park pass, say $35. This way the trail systems that are used by many will be paying to groom the trails more often in their area, and the additonal funds could help at areas that do not get as much use. We are dealing with the state and some how, some way they will get to the additonal funds and will get the same old BS that there is no dollars for grooming!

 

[winter brew]

Can you show me the statistics you are using for this statement. And a poll on Snowest doesn't count.

In two years it will cost an additional $20 to register a sled. That is almost double. And what added benefits will that person receive if they don't purchase a Snowpark Pass and use WA Snoparks. Nothing!

For those of you that don't use Snowparks...you are getting screwed!

Which statement? That it costs more?.....really??? Look at fuel prices alone in the last 10+ years.
Sledders wanting this?? That goes back to some of the earliest Puyallup snoshows when we voted on this topic as we entered the door at the WSSA booth....that must have been 15 years ago or more as that was the show where I saw the original Simmons ski for the first time. And it's not until NOW that an increase has taken place.
If you think we can make it on what we have, please go to the WSSA meeting and show them how it can be done....get up in front of everyone and tell them they are wrong. Are you willing to do that??

 

[winter brew]

I agree, we do need to raise more funds for are snow park systems. With the increase tab fees of 10 to 20 dollars, why not also put a toll shack at the major snow parks and charge each person for that trail system they are using that day, say 5 to 10 dollars each. This should include the CC ski parks also! We should also be paying for the snow park pass, say $35. This way the trail systems that are used by many will be paying to groom the trails more often in their area, and the additonal funds could help at areas that do not get as much use. We are dealing with the state and some how, some way they will get to the additonal funds and will get the same old BS that there is no dollars for grooming!

Chains will not get you over the jersey barriers or through the gates that are erected when the snoparks close. Not to mention the areas will not be plowed so there would be no parking. You wouldn't need a snopark permit as there would not be a snopark. You can'tlegally park on the road or on the freeway in most areas.
Snowmobiling is a family sport for many people. Do you expect children and women to ride whooped moguls? You would eliminate 1/2 -2/3 of people from a sport they love by your logic.
I am willing to ride rough trails also, but have friends with kids that love to ride and I would pay just so they can enjoy the sport as much as I do....it's not all about ME.
Some shared areas currenly see sled trail grooming 1-2 times a week and it ended a couple weeks ago for most area.....the ski portion of the same are is being groomed multiple times almost daily...why? Because they pay for it. They pay MUCH more than we do.

 

[summit800]

and we pay more...... and we will still hear the same thing next year.......... why arent the grooming ,how come the they dont do a better job of grooming.......... !!!!!!?????? and then we'll pay more and we will still hear the same thing........ and then we'll pay more and we will still hear the same thing!!!!,

 

[LeviD]

You guys don't get it. It will cost you more to register a snowmobile than a car. And that is without the additional fee for a snowpark permit.

Don't let your passion for this sport blind you of common sense.

Yes. Tabs need to go up. Yes, its fair to charge separately for people that use snow parks. But this is a big state, and many people that ride are going to see the fee to register a sled almost double and they will get nothing.

I already pay more to register my boat than a car. $60 trailer tabs then boat tabs and a $5 launch fee at most launches. Easy $100 for my boat. At least I don't have a trailer for the sled ill be getting next fall. Just like owning a boat, its not a necessity to own one so its a want. Every sport involving a motorized vehicle is expensive plain and simple. I have yet to really snowmobile and im prepared for that. $50-100 a year isn't that bad considering all the cost in a sled im buying and gear. If you cared about $30 more a year im surprised you own a truck (assuming you do) and not only a prius to save all the extra money on gas. That would probably be easy a $1000.

 

[WaBackcountry]

Are you all liberal democrats or just blinded by your love for the sport. Of course its not a lot of money. But that is what they say to every single tax/fee hike. It just 1%. Its just 3%.

I own a boat too and its just as ridiculous. Most of the boat launches are a joke in urban and suburban western washington. Our increased fees pay for the A hole that walks around giving tickets. I don't need or want fancy docks with 30 launches. If the moroons would teach there wife to drive we wouldn't need 30 launch spots. Its a boat launch not a parking spot.

Its the same crap I have said in all the treads. We are all going to pay WAY more money and NOT see an increase in services. And for those that don't want a SnoPark Pass well they just get screwed. They pay another $20 for nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Its the principle. It a fundemental problem with our country. Its not fair that someone else should subsidize our plowed snowparks and groomed trails. By increasing the registration fee $20, that is what you are doing. Yes, its only $20 and yes its a small percentage of people but its not fair.

 

[winter brew]

It's not for an increase in sevices....that's where there might be some confusion.
It is to return to the frequency of grooming that we used to have and in as many areas. Many areas stopped grooming quite a while ago as the money ran out.
This is to "catch up"....since there is no COLA formula built into the system.
If it had gone up $1 every other year since the previous increase, would that be better?

 

[snowhunter1]

Chains will not get you over the jersey barriers or through the gates that are erected when the snoparks close. Not to mention the areas will not be plowed so there would be no parking. You wouldn't need a snopark permit as there would not be a snopark. You can'tlegally park on the road or on the freeway in most areas.
Snowmobiling is a family sport for many people. Do you expect children and women to ride whooped moguls? You would eliminate 1/2 -2/3 of people from a sport they love by your logic.
I am willing to ride rough trails also, but have friends with kids that love to ride and I would pay just so they can enjoy the sport as much as I do....it's not all about ME.
Some shared areas currenly see sled trail grooming 1-2 times a week and it ended a couple weeks ago for most area.....the ski portion of the same are is being groomed multiple times almost daily...why? Because they pay for it. They pay MUCH more than we do.

Brew, not sure why you quoted me with this kind of response? I am for increasing the tab fee's as well as paying for the snow park permit also. In addition, add toll booths at the major snow park areas and use the funds collected to help with the cost of plowing, grooming both for sleds and CC trail systems in that snow park area only, along with the state funds. These parks would then need less funds from the state, that could be used for plowing, grooming at other parks. This is not about me! this is about all of us that use this trail system through out the state! I do bring new people in every year for their first rides ever, as well as sledding with my kids and grand kids (our future sledders) and I feel we need to have groomed trails to bring new people to the sport that we all care so much about! Sorry about the long post, but it pisses me off that some people want everything at a cheep price for the best service!