With IDNR in trouble, groups joining together to discuss funding plans

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One item high in discussions for stable funding of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is charging access fees for riding on Tunnel Hill State Trail. | Dale Bowman~for Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 13, 2012 10:28AM

The real battle will be in the details, but at least Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley) has constituent groups for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources talking about the big picture.

‘‘We can’t fund everything anymore, and it is best to have input,’’ Mautino said after a second meeting Thursday of four dozen groups with interests in the IDNR and its role in the state. ‘‘It will take consensus-building if we are going to have stable funding.’’

The groups talking range from business interests in mining to the Farm Bureau to the Sierra Club to Pheasants Forever to fishing groups to bowhunters.

‘‘There are a lot of difficult issues on the agenda this spring, so I don’t think anyone can predict for certain whether the process will work or not,’’ emailed Jack Darin, the director of the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club. ‘‘However, it is essential that we try, and I applaud Rep. Mautino for taking the initiative in bringing people together to seek consensus.’’

Everything is on the table for the IDNR, which has fallen from a peak of about 2,600 employees to 1,200 and dropping.

There are some 800 statutory mandates — among the most for state agencies — for the IDNR. Some aren’t funded and might go away. Some, frankly, aren’t essential and could be eliminated. So far, the group has pulled together dozens that could be eliminated.

‘‘All the groups are in,’’ Mautino said. ‘‘All groups are participating well. The idea is to get sustainable funding for the agency and to fine-tune what we are doing.’’

‘‘I think it is heading in the right direction,’’ said Aaron Kuehl, the director of conservation programs for Pheasants Forever. ‘‘Mautino has gathered all the constituent groups, and we’re looking at opportunities to generate a little revenue. If everyone plays nice, it could be good.’’

Not everything is open on the funding side. I’ve been told by several people that dedicating a fraction of a percent of sales tax to IDNR funding is off the table. Too bad. I think a piece of sales tax would be best for several reasons, one of which is because people would remember where the money is coming from and keep better tabs on it.

The two most likely sources are from mining fees — a boom industry in the coming decades in Illinois will be things below the surface — and user fees, particularly park admissions. There are multiple methods to consider in setting up user fees. That will be its own political battle.

‘‘Everybody is always OK with everybody else’s fees,’’ Mautino said.

While true, the dire state of the IDNR, whose operating budget was slashed by more than half to $49 million last year and probably will be slashed to $45 million this year, might force people into compromising on funding options.

‘‘All the groups realize the DNR has a challenge coming up,’’ Mautino said. ‘‘It is important to them to have a strong department and facilities [and to] recognize that something [bad] is coming down the road and get started on it now.’’

‘‘There is never a convenient time for shared sacrifice, and an election year when legislators will face many other unpopular choices is certainly not the time we would pick,’’ Darin emailed.

‘‘However, IDNR’s fiscal situation is so dire that we don’t get to pick the time to act anymore. The General Assembly will either make the changes needed to put the department on sound financial footing this year, or we will see drastic changes that take away recreational opportunities, reduce or eliminate protections for water supplies and state parks and cut the scientific expertise that looks out for our natural resources.’’