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Wasington Sledders Legislature Reaching for Your Wallet

to excuse your ignorance, i'm ORIGINALLY from the midwest. I currently reside here in the beautiful Northwest. You'd know that if you read that little thing called "location" across from my name. and to follow up, yes, i also snowmobile here too.

Taptalk/mobile doesn't provide your location across from your name and it wasn't listed in your profile. Not that it matters.
 
Regardless of how you feel now is a good time to contact your legislators. The bills are out of commitee and may see another vote soon. Let them know your opinion.
 
We and the WSSA did....thats the reason for the small, incremental increase.
Try to think of it it as Govt actually listening to the needs of their constituents and actually carrying out their request....tough concept to grasp ( really!). Now, if it was some huge increase with no apparent reason or need, besides a money grab to use our money elsewhere, or to discourage sledders from riding.....then I think we would ALL have a problem with it,
 
They listened because the WSSA has a PAID lobbyist that scheduled appoinments with legislators and told them face to face what the WSSA wants. They received a few letters and emails from myself and Winterbrew but I promise we have more people on this thread than wrote to legislators.

And not all listened. One republican from Yakima voted no in commitee.

So Winterbrew, I wonder if people would call it a "small incremental increase" if car tabs went from $30 to $80 in one year?

Again I am posing a scenario for people to think about. You have hundreds of people that utilize sno parks like Stampede and camp all weekend, many, many, weekends a year with 40' motorhomes. They will now pay $40 for a sno park pass along with the increased registration fee. Now Bob from Quincy usually just rides his sled in the field but takes a two trips a year over to Gallager for the day. He will now pay three times as much and his truck is parked in the snow park 2 days a year. He just got screwed.

I understand we need to pay more but the system is flawed.
 
WaBackcountry you do have legitimate points but you also have some that you need to check your facts.

Sure WSSA has a paid lobbyist but most any group has to have one to get anything to move through the legislature. The vast majority of bills die due to no action. They must be shepherded through. The legislator doesn't do anything if he doesn't hear from some of his constituents though so yes he has heard from a fair number to take action. Also the lobbyists are invaluable to protect the dedicated funds from being swept and to watch for bad legislation that can negatively affect snowmobiling.

Anyway HB 2002 was the bill that came out of committee and I suggest you read it again if you think it says anything about paying for a SnoPark permit. I don't see anything in it. It only addresses raising registration fees and it looks like the SnoPark fee is on hold this year. Most systems are flawed but look at the SnoPark right now as getting a $40 value for free when registering your snowmobile for $30.

One way to address your scenerio if we did have a SnoPark fee is 1) pay per day which would be $20 per day or 2) have another person with a SnoPark permit haul him to the SnoPark because he shouldn't be riding by himself anyway if he is only going to a SnoPark only one or two times a year.

At this point in time it isn't an issue because it wasn't in HB 2002 which looks like it passed 87-9 according to the roll call vote on the bill. You can look up who supported or opposed but there are other issues why they voted no besides not supporting the bill. Some don't want to be on record supporting any fee or tax increase no matter what the issue.
 
How many of you report your fuel purchase on your taxes, for off road use, it is there for a purpose. It allocates
Or suppose to, some of the gas tax $ to this purpose
 
WaBackcountry you do have legitimate points but you also have some that you need to check your facts.

Sure WSSA has a paid lobbyist but most any group has to have one to get anything to move through the legislature. The vast majority of bills die due to no action. They must be shepherded through. The legislator doesn't do anything if he doesn't hear from some of his constituents though so yes he has heard from a fair number to take action. Also the lobbyists are invaluable to protect the dedicated funds from being swept and to watch for bad legislation that can negatively affect snowmobiling.

Anyway HB 2002 was the bill that came out of committee and I suggest you read it again if you think it says anything about paying for a SnoPark permit. I don't see anything in it. It only addresses raising registration fees and it looks like the SnoPark fee is on hold this year. Most systems are flawed but look at the SnoPark right now as getting a $40 value for free when registering your snowmobile for $30.

One way to address your scenario if we did have a SnoPark fee is 1) pay per day which would be $20 per day or 2) have another person with a SnoPark permit haul him to the SnoPark because he shouldn't be riding by himself anyway if he is only going to a SnoPark only one or two times a year.

At this point in time it isn't an issue because it wasn't in HB 2002 which looks like it passed 87-9 according to the roll call vote on the bill. You can look up who supported or opposed but there are other issues why they voted no besides not supporting the bill. Some don't want to be on record supporting any fee or tax increase no matter what the issue.

Here is the quote I was referring to from a WSSA email as to the lone ranger that opposed it in committee:

HB 2002 - Snowmobile license fees $20 increase passed out of Rules on April 15th.
Next move: To get on the list of Bills To Be Considered Next. WSSA Lobbyist Terry Kohl will speak with Rep Reydahl and Condotta to inform their caucus that the bill has had no opposition and that only Representative Taylor (R-15 Yakima) voted against it in committee. Terry will also ask Majority Floor Leader, Rep. Tami Green, to put it up for a vote.


In my last post I was referring to not just HB 2002 but all the proposed bills including the increase in registration fees and most importantly the addition of the $40 fee for snopark permit. Hopefully only HB2002 will pass this year which I would support. I would guess only that will pass this year because they know it will be uproar when the masses go to register sleds next year and the cost tripled.

I have just been trying to get people to look at this from another perspective. Most have tunnel vision and think that if you oppose one of these fee increases or oppose what the WSSA wants then we are not going to be snowmobiling in this state or that you are not doing what is best for the sport. The combined fee increases are regressive fees. They benefit the people that need the benefit the least: The families that spend the weekends in the snowpark with eight sleds and a 40' motorhome. They park all weekend in a snowpark for $40 a year. They buy one snowpark pass for eight sleds when myslef and my eight buddies each have to spend $40 each, even though we only own one sled and dont spend the weekend in snowparks.

Is it that big of deal. Hell no. But you wont hear me preaching like everyone else on here about how we need these increases to keep the sport alive and snowparks open. Bullsheet.
 
wow

The families that spend the weekends in the snowpark with eight sleds and a 40' motorhome. T

good for them...wish i could afford a 40 foot motorhome..and at that size it is most likely a diesel pusher....wonder what it is ?????

40 foot diesel pusher....$250k
8 sleds.......................$50 k
diesel for weekend trip to run motorhome to snoqualmie from seattle..and back
................................$200.00
trailer..most likely featherlite including heater and shelving.....................
.................................$20.000 k....................................................
gear for spoiled kids.......$2000.00
booze fore motorhome operator and wife
..................................$375.00

typical in my opinion
 
trail fees....are cheep

wa backcountry. in my opinion you are very nieve


he families that spend the weekends in the snowpark with eight sleds and a 40' motorhome. T

good for them...wish i could afford a 40 foot motorhome..and at that size it is most likely a diesel pusher....wonder what it is ?????

40 foot diesel pusher....$250k
8 sleds.......................$50 k
diesel for weekend trip to run motorhome to snoqualmie from seattle..and back
................................$200.00
trailer..most likely featherlite including heater and shelving.....................
.................................$20.000 k................................................. ...
gear for spoiled kids.......$2000.00
booze fore motorhome operator and wife
..................................$375.00

typical in my opinion
 
I would love to hear an explanation Wendall. Not sure what your getting at with your cost break down on the family and motorhome situation. I am certainly not bashing them. All the better. I would, and might do the same in a few years. Its the fee system that is flawed.
 
the cost break out is an example of how SMALL in comparision to other expenditures this will affect snowmobilers. i know i take the short bus to work but you must have been home schooled to not comprehend that analogy.
 
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