I don't know for sure but its hard to imagine the state is losing money there. Heck, people are always buying booze.

Isn't this what living on a budget looks like? If you can't afford it then you don't get to have it. If there are parks that can't sustain themselves then why should they stay open? I hate the thought of some parks closing but odds are that if they're not self sustaining then not enough people are visiting them to notice much when they're gone. Of the parks closing I've been to 1 one time and another 3 or 4 times. I really enjoy them, but I'd sure rather you close them than raise my taxes.

What Bently (and all politicians) fail to understand is that they work for us. It'd be the equivalent of me going to my boss and saying Hey! I just bought some new stuff but I can't afford it on what you're paying me so I'm gonna need you to give me some more money...and if you don't give it to me then I'm gonna have to get rid of some of my things I've bought but can't afford.

Dang.......I wanted bucks pocket. No politicians welcome under the new rules.......defeated or not.

State parks should be managed by RSA. Y'all see any RTJ courses closing down? Business folks know how to manage money not politicians.

Wiley--You are exactly right. Al.com had the audacity to publish a piece about how the state was doing it right on liquor sales. In summary, saying that Alabama was pulling in more money than the states that privatize it.
BS BS BS
Go across the Hooch and see the liquor stores' parking lots filled up with Alabama license plates. Go inside and check out the selection. Check the pricing. It's a total fabrication and there is no doubt that they are the worst numbers people in the world or the world's biggest finaglers. State run liquor stores are a joke and only a way to pad the pockets of politicians.

I thought Bentley had more balls. Yes, it is all grandstanding!

Parks can't be privatized, right? Wasn't that the big kerfluffle when Gulf State Park was to be rebuilt and managed by an outside group? I know another hotel owner down there didn't want the park resort to be built for a convention center b/c it would have taken away from his own revenue, but I believe the DCNR was legally blocked by the courts about privatizing the parks.

I'm with Fur. Shut ever damn thang down. When you as broke as me it don't matter anyway. We, my family, live paycheck to paycheck and guberment keeps wanting more. Eff them all.

Close all the WMAs and shooting ranges, too.

Should have been closed 3 years ago from my perspective.

Close them down and turn the property over to the owners or Forever Wild if the State owns it all.

that suxs. I have a two day tourney on al river and have plans to stay at roland cooper. need to make new plans i guess

All bass tournaments and otherwise at the state parks would have to find other launching ramps, too.

In fact, all state boat ramps should be closed and gated off, too. Shut all of them down as well. Anything at all related to state parks and public lands - close it, sell it, shut it down, give it to private landowners to develop, cut timber, mine, etc.

Might as well. The public doesn't need public land. Go to a city park with a quilt and enjoy "the outdoors."

Feds need to close Bankhead and sell off all the national forests and refuges, too. Decatur would look f'king spectacular with more industry lining the river between Lacey's Spring and Mallard-Fox Creek. Everything between I-65 and Madison on the north side of the river could be turned into asphalt, concrete and industry.

Someone in the Legislature and Congress needs to get a set of balls and get these wheels in motion. Sell everything for development. That's progress!

dang glad you got back on the grid Clem!

You don't have to gate anything. Just stop spending money on them. Put up a donation box at the entrance and at the ramps. I am sure you could find some volunteers to cut grass and such. They are public parks, open them to the public, same with wmas.

Volunteer to cut grass and pay a ramp fee?



If the parks aren't being manned by any park employees, who's going to go pick up the money being "voluntarily donated" at the ramps? The volunteers going to cut the grass?


Just sell everything. Sell it all. Probably should do away with some agencies, too, like DCNR, soil conservation, agriculture extension service, anything like that. Hunters and farmers and fishermen can take care of themselves. No agencies and bureaucrats needed for anything like that.

Lakepoint and Eufaula NWR would be a hell of an industrial park for Eufaula.

Remember, too, with no bureaucrats and agencies then we don't have hunting seasons, bag limits and that oh-so-important 3-buck limit to protect the little bucks so they can grow up to be big RackMonsterWallHangerPoopMyShorts trophy bucks.

No limits, no seasons, no restrictions. Shut down the agencies and sell all the land.

While I totally agree that this is a Grandstand Scare Tactic.....

I wonder what, if anything, has been done to structure the State Parks to be self-sufficient? What are the issues with costs/upkeep in regards to usage/funding? What can be done to improve their viability?

And, in another angle, who would benefit from their closing besides the adjoining landowners who do not want Public Access?
There was a recent case here in SW AL where a past CAB member installed bouys and 'Posted' a large lake off the AL River that was easily accessible at virtually any water level because it adjoined his property. This was done with permission of the DCNR. It did NOT go over well with people! Luckily, that was reversed......

So, instead of fixing what is broken, the idea is to scrap them? Who's the genius running these places that can't at least break even? With Cheaha there should be no way in hell they can't make money.. You have a lodge, store, user fee areas, lakes, camping areas, a restaurant, and it's the highest point in AL. Charging someone 5 bucks to park instead of 3 ain't that hard.. Increase camping fees 10 or 20%.. I could go on but that won't run people away. I could see the parks cost being high with renovations and such but it is a little mind boggling.. This seems like a tactic to make the public feel the pain instead of those in Monkeytown actually doing what they are tasked to do as public servants.

Guys, it is true that there is money being spent poorly, but over the past few years this has been cut significantly. Not perfect by any means, but better than ever. But right now the bigger problem is allocation of tax revenue to the places that need it most.

Picture your own personal budget. Now pretend that 91% of your income is required by law or statute to fund certain and specific things within your budget spending...mandatory with zero discretion. You have 11% to cover as you see fit across your entire budget. Oh, and by the way, you actually have 2 budgets: General and Education. Education gets a fixed amount and by law must be increased each year. General is required by law to be balanced.

Now in your Education budget you have extra money left over with a nice surplus over the years. But you can't touch it.

In your General budget, cost of living has skyrocketed and the Fed Gov't has done things that has made your cost go through the roof. But you have set % amounts by statute you have to fund in your line item budget with zero discretion. Remember the General budget has to be balanced and 91% of your money is earmarked. Only 9 % you can adjust.

The state is short $270 million in the General Fund. Let's say you are short $27,000 in your General person budget. Your Education budget has a $20,000 surplus but you can't move that over to help. There are programs you are involved in within your General budget that you cannot end by statute and you must fund them their percentage of revenue. Groceries must get 15% no matter what. Healthcare/Insurance must get 50% no matter what. Security System must get 15% no matter what. Four other items get a combined 11% no matter what. You have 9% left over to cover everything else. But you really need 29% to break even. You are facing a shortfall. You have cut most everything you can and are try not to waste too much money.

What do you do?

A. Get an extra job, a better paying job to make more money to cover your costs?

OR

B. You get out from under the earmarks so you can fund the most important things first in a priority order until things get balanced. Then and only then, if needed, do you get an extra job.