10 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission • 2018-2022 Focus on the Future
sought and received additional cash funds in 2014
to assist with capital maintenance. The State Park
Improvement and Maintenance Fund provided $17.5
million and the Capital Maintenance Fund (CMF)
provided funds from sales taxes on motorboat, ATV
and UTV sales. In 2017, transfers of $4.5 million in
FY2017/2018 and another $4.5 million in FY2018/
2019 from the CMF were identified to assist the
State General Fund shortfall. Legislation in 2018
proposes to transfer an additional $4.5 million in
FY2018/2019 to the State General Fund, which
could result in total transfers of $13.5 million from
the CMF. With the sunset of the CMF dollars in
2022 and short of renewal or other dedicated
funding sources, the agency will be limited in
our ability to fund deferred maintenance.
The agency will continue to seek grants and gifts at
the local, state, federal and private levels to further
our mission and stretch our limited resources.
Federal programs are important to sustaining
revenue flows, but we must provide the
nonfederal matching funds. The agency will
continue to monitor new and alternative funding
initiatives and legislative proposals, and will
evaluate the potential impacts to existing
funding sources and our agency budget.
National efforts, such as the proposed Recovering
America's Wildlife Act in Congress, could provide
welcome assistance to conserve nongame species
and their habitats. These funds would be allocated
to state wildlife agencies to implement State
Wildlife Action Plans, in Nebraska called the
Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, which is a
strategic approach to conserving our at-risk
and declining species.
