Too many fees?

[Tyme2fish]

The price of fishing has long ago gotten out of hand. The State of Indiana has taxed me out of fishing in Indiana. I'll drive to Kentucky instead.
Just for my 11 year old boat:
County Tax $55.00
Lake En. Fee $25.00
DNR Fee $5.00
Fishing License: Haven't bought one in Indiana in years
Launch fee " " " " " """""""""""""""
State Park entrance Fee " " " " "
Tax from both State and sales on gasoline
License for trailer
Insurance on boat (Not required but I still buy it)

I mainly fish the Ohio river now and don't have to pay the launch and park fees. I think I've paid enough in all the other dang taxes the State of Indiana has imposed.
Plus,the monies collected I've never seen going back to the resources that the fishermen need.

[MikeAxsom]

I don't really want to get back into the fee dispute, but I do have a professional interest in your post. You do a pretty good job of outlining what you thing is too high; but I'd like to hear what price do you think is just right? I assume that since you also seem concerned about what you feel is not enough being put back into the resource, you do feel that SOME level of fee are needed and appropriate. If it were up to you, what level would you set. And why?

[Tyme2fish]

Fishing license is $17.00. That's fair. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Indiana does not have a "separate" fund for that fee, ie it goes into the general fund.

I'm just generally ticked with the 58 ways the state dips it's hands in my pockets because I own a boat and a trailer and want to fish.

I also disagree with the fees that the state charges for admittance and launching at state parks. Where do all my other state and local taxes go to? I'd think that the $25.00 Lake En Fee and $5.00 DNR fee on my boat license would allow me entrance INTO a state park and authority to launch.But no, I have to pay additionnal fees to perform those acts.

Finally, I've found that most ramps in southern Indiana are a joke. Could someone tell me what, if any work or maintenance has been done to the ramp in New Albany or Clarksville.
Oh yeh, a gazillion dollars has been spent putting up gas lights and sidewalks along the river walk in New Albany but not one thing has been done to improve the ramp. In addition, the parking places for boaters has been reduced in the number of spaces and moved so as to force us to enter an endurance march to hike back to the rivers edge and back to our boat.

In summation: The State takes but I don't see ANY return to the fisherman.

[vincennesfishrman]

I don't really want to get back into the fee dispute, but I do have a professional interest in your post. You do a pretty good job of outlining what you thing is too high; but I'd like to hear what price do you think is just right? I assume that since you also seem concerned about what you feel is not enough being put back into the resource, you do feel that SOME level of fee are needed and appropriate. If it were up to you, what level would you set. And why?

Mike sounds like you are at some level in the light on how these fees are spent. I have owned a boat or 2 for the past 25 + years and have paid all the fees associated with this . I live in Knox county so we really do not have any form of outdoor recreation for boating unless you consider the 2 rivers or white Oaks quality fishery. The money collected from us here in Knox county does nothing really to benfit us, at least on the local level . The rivers used to be fairly good fisherys but at least around Vincennes you are extremly lucky to go out and catch a good meal of fish, and I blame this on the commercial end of it where there are people running 50 to 100 nets through some of the best strechs of water. Also the river is not maintained in anyway through the fees paid , there is no enforcement on soil eroision, and a small dam to help keep a 10' pool could really help. Actually the dam could proabably be used to produce some electricity.

It has gotten to the Level now with fishing Liscensce fees , gasoline for Boat and truck , bait and other incidentals I can not really afford to use my larger boat anywhere as you will have at least 100-150 tyed up in any trips to decent fisherys.

I just feel like the citizens of Knox county are coming out on the short end of the stick when it comes to quality places ( or any places at all to fish ).
I have sent Brad Ellsworth my opinion on this and recieved his standard letter which does not even acknowledge that he recieved my thoughts , I have been in contact with Kreg Battles and told him of our needs and I have gotten the run around also , I have told him about working with the coal companies in northern knox county and also told him about the 2200 acres in southern knox county that was on auction long before it came and sold private. I do not have a problem paying fees but it does not get reimbursed in a fair manner.

Seems like all anybody wants around here are walking trails, any help or suggestions on how I could try and help people of Knox county get some quality outdoor recreation around here would be great, we have one small county camp ground and it is packed to the gills all seaon long it seems like a no brainer to me.

Thanks Brad ,Concerned fisherman

[slipbobber]

Ditch Mitch!!This man has probably never camped or fished a day in his life!

[raporter]

Ditch Mitch!!This man has probably never camped or fished a day in his life!

Like him or not his administration has done more for the sportsman than the previous administration.
I too do not understand why we have no money to buy these coal properties when they come up for sale.

[billm_usa1]

It's the $20 wheel tax on boat trailers that each county administration is allowed to impose. On my car and truck I can see because there on the road quite a bit. But a boat or camping trailer? With my 2 cars 1 truck and 2 boat trailers that $100 in wheel tax before starting on the licensing. Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio all have fees less than Indiana or they are non existant.

[Moose1am]

I am all for lower boat registration and license fees. They don't use our money for IDNR anyway. So why should we all fund the State Leaches?

Now if the fees were all used to fund IDNR to improve outdoor recreational opportunities for us Hoosier then I could justify the higher fees. But I don't see the money coming back to help me as a outdoor person.

Although the State did Purchase Bluegrass F&W area down here by Evansville, IN so that's a big plus.

I'd be all for higher fees is they would buy more lands for public hunters and fishermen.

Fee's that are collected from outdoor activities should be put in the IDNR budget not the general fund. JMHO.

[MikeAxsom]

Sorry guys, but if I had the answer to all these questions, I’d be running for Governor myself. I’m not even sure how to keep our one county owned lake and park funded in these times of rising costs and shrinking dollars. But, you guys need to understand that some of what you seem think is inaccurate, and some of it is pretty much right on target.

Tyme2fish, you do happen to be wrong about the fishing license fee going into the general fund. Fortunately those along with all the other hunting fishing and trapping license fees are placed in the fish & wildlife fund, as required by Indiana Code IC 14-22-12-15.

A for some of the boating fees, the LARE (Lake and River Enhancement) fund is where those added registration fees are going. LARE is a function of IDNR, and is an office in the Division of Fish & Wildlife. I don’t have an answer for your situation but I do happen to know that those funds are allowing some large scale water resource improvements and protection that would probably not be possible otherwise. That has gone on for years and most managed water bodies have seen some benefit. The increases enacted in 2003 provide funds for sediment removal, and for control of exotic and invasive species. A third of the new money is used for increased law enforcement, including making funds available to county sheriff departments to do boating enforcement. I know that Daviess County has become heavily involved in this on West Boggs; and the effect is pretty dramatic. So, I don’t know if the source of funding is fair or too high or too low; but I’m pretty sure it is not being wasted.

It is not the case that such things as those gas lights and walking trails are being built with fishing license and boating fee money. I won’t argue that some of that other money might be better spent on some needed conservation issues, but it really is other money.

What you are really seeing is the cost of management going up as a result of the times we live in. I hear similar arguments from boaters, campers and other visitors at West Boggs, but I know exactly where every dime of that money is going and where it comes from. We pay the same higher prices everyone else does for water, sewer service, electricity, gasoline, equipment, labor, etc., etc. Last year we paid some $80,000 for utilities alone. Our liability insurance costs over $15,000. Labor takes over $200,000, even though we are running a smaller staff. And not a cent of any of that comes from taxes, license fees or from state contributions. The only source for that revenue is from the visitors themselves. It is always a tightrope to keep enough funds coming in to pay all those bills, and still provide services at a price that people will pay. And I assure you, we don’t have a gaslight in sight, except for the Coleman lanterns in camp.

[wkerber]

Slipbobber,
I don't know that you want to Ditch Mitch. He was the only one that came up with creative ways to restore your state budget without taking all of it out of your pockets. Remember, Indiana use to have almost a $2 billion dollar budget surplus, but the Dems couldn't stand that money sitting there so they came up with a formula to parse it out to the districts in the state. I believe that if you research what it all went to, you'd want to slap someone. Mostly pet projects.

[wkerber]

[QUOTE=billm_usa1;319802]It's the $20 wheel tax on boat trailers that each county administration is allowed to impose. On my car and truck I can see because there on the road quite a bit. But a boat or camping trailer? With my 2 cars 1 truck and 2 boat trailers that $100 in wheel tax before starting on the licensing. Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio all have fees less than Indiana or they are non existant.[/Qt UOTE]

Wheel tax is levied by the county and by law it goes to a fund for county road repair. When I lived in Johnson County (Greenwood) they did not have a wheel tax and my wife and I use to wish that they would levy one as their roads where crap. I'd rather pay $20 than hit all those big potholes.
I now live in Tennessee and they do not have a wheel tax or registration fee for trailers. However, they do have a 10% sales tax. I'm here to tell you that they'll get you one way or the other.

[TR21Bassin]

This is the main reason I haven't fished an Indiana State owned lake in the last 2 years. I pay enough in taxes, boat, truck, trailer, car and etc registration fees I don't feel I should have to purchase another "Boat Permit". I usually only fish West Boggs in Indiana and the rest of my fishing is in Illinois and Kentucky.

Even Boggs has gotten higher so we will continue to fish it but I will be taking fish home with me every time I can. They won't be going to the dinner table but to a couple of private lakes. I figure if I have to pay $12 to get in everytime or whatever its going to be for the yearly pass I may as well get something for my money.

Charlie