Q&A on the News
Q: In your response to the Oaky Woods funding, you listed several funding sources for supporting and purchasing land for hunting. You did not mention anything about a fee added onto all hunting and fishing licenses. Several years ago, a referendum was on the ballot and passed easily that added a fee to all licenses expressly for the purpose of purchasing land for WMA (Wildlife Management Area) use. I have not seen a repeal nor a reduction in license cost. Is this fee still added in? What has the money been used for?
-- Richard Buchanan, McDonough
A: A license fee increase was passed in 1987 to fund bond payments for the purpose of acquiring WMAs and Public Fishing Areas (PFAs). As a result, about 60,000 acres were added to the WMA/PFA system, officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources told Q&A on the News in an e-mail. "The bonds were sold over several years, and the debt for those bonds has been retired between 2007 and 2010. The additional fees from the 1987 increase, like all of the license revenues, were remitted to the Treasury every year. Funding for bond payments, like funding for Wildlife Resources Division [WRD] operations, were appropriated annually from the Treasury by the General Assembly," officials wrote. "WRD has a long history of receiving appropriations from general tax revenues over and above the amount generated by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. While the gap has narrowed because of three [soon-to-be four] fiscal years impacted by the economy and budget cuts, WRD continues to receive more revenues than are generated by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses inclusive of the 1987 increase. So, at this point, the 1987 increase has become part of WRD operations."
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
