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News about State Parks and the Outdoors

Over 100 state parks workers to be laid off - by Karen Dillon, Kansas City Star, October 19, 2009

More than 100 of Missouri’s 700 state parks employees will be laid off because of reduced sales tax revenues, employees were told Monday. Employees of the Division of State Parks were notified through an e-mail from the agency’s director and in four meetings held across the state Monday. The agency, which is under the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, does not receive general fund money but relies on half of a 1/10 percent sales tax. About a quarter of its budget comes from camping fees and concession revenues and souvenir sales. Travis Ford, DNR spokesman, said it was unclear how the layoffs would affect parks operations. He said there were no plans to close state parks. “We’ve seen dramatic decreases in revenue from the sales tax,” Ford said. The sales tax revenue for the state parks system was down to $38.6 million in fiscal year 2009 from $42 million in 2008, Ford said. The state is projecting that the revenue will drop to $36.1 million this fiscal year. Bill Bryan, director of state parks, said in the e-mail that because of the Missouri merit system, which takes seniority into account, it would take about three weeks to determine who would be laid off. The state is facing severe cuts in its operating budget, and since Gov. Jay Nixon took office, more than 1,500 employees have lost jobs.

Missouri Parks Association Resolution on the Layoffs

The Missouri Parks Association passed a resolution asking the Division of State Parks to reevaluate the decision to lay off 15% of state parks work force at their October 25 meeting. See the resolution at http://parks.missouri.org/