11-6795 Land and Water Conservation Fund AllocationRESOLUTION NUMBER I1-6795
A RESOLUTION REQUESTING CONGRESS TO IMPLEMENT LEGISLATION AN
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ANNi1AL ALLOCATION OF AT LEAST 40% OF THE LAND AND WATER
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CONSERVATION FUND TO THE STATE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
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WHEREAS, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was established by Congress in
1965 to preserve, develop and assure accessibility to quality outdoor recreation resources "to
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strengthen the health and vitality of the citizens of the United States;" and
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WHEREAS, the LWCF is principally funded by revenue received from the off -shore energy
extraction, and is authorized to receive $900 million annually through the annual appropriations
process; and
WHEREAS, the LWCF funds a federal land acquisition program and provides matching grants
to states and localities for capital projects through the State Assistance program; and
WHEREAS, investments from the LWCF State Assistance program support the creation of
public parks in rural and urban communities throughout America, protect green space and local
water supplies, guarantee outdoor recreation opportunities, spur economic development, create jobs
and significantly aid national efforts to promote health, connect youth to nature and the outdoors,
combat childhood obesity and protect the environment; and
WHEREAS, in the original authorizing legislation, Congress recognized the important role of
state and local parks in achieving its intended purpose by requiring the allocation of 60% of LWCF
annual funding to the State Assistance program and 40% to the federal program; and
WHEREAS, the language protecting the State Assistance program was removed in the mid
1970's resulting in a disproportional amount (84%) of LWCF funding going to the federal side of
the program over the past 25 years; and
WHEREAS, no language exists to protect the State Assistance funding allocations, and
Congress appropriated a total of approximately $304 million to LWCF in FY 2009 but allocated
only $19 million (6%) to the State Assistance program, and in FY 2010 appropriated a total of
approximately $479 million to LWCF with a mere $40 million (8%) going to the State Assistance
program; and
WHEREAS, Kansas received only $357,455 in FY 2009 and $490,306 in FY 2010; and
WHEREAS, the disproportional allocation of LWCF funding between the two programs has
severely limited state and local governments in their capacity to develop park and open spaces and
protect green space and local water supplies in light of rapidly increasing populations; and
.WHEREAS, LWCF provides one-time funding for state and local capital projects and state and
local governments equally match the federal dollars, then assume all costs of management and
maintenance;
WHEREAS, the LWCF State Assistance program has invested more that $50,383,110 in
Kansas since 1965 and has funded projects such as Bill Burke Park improvements in Salina; and
WHEREAS, the state of Kansas has $101,000,000 in unmet need for LWCF State Assistance
projects, and The City of Salina currently has several projects that would qualify for LWCF State
Assistance funding such as the Smoky Hill River Trail system; and
WHEREAS, requiring 40% of LWCF funds to be annually allocated to the State Assistance
program would not increase the national debt, but would ensure a more balanced allocation of
resources between federal land acquisition and state and local community conservation efforts, as
intended by the authorizing legislation. SO, NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Governing Body of the City of Salina, Kansas:
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Section 1. The City of Salina, Kansas calls on Congress to implement legislation specifying an
annual allocation of at least 40% of LWCF funds to the State Assistance program.
Section 2. The City Clerk is hereby directed to forward a certified copy of this resolution to the
state and national recreation and park associations.
Section 3. This resolution shall be in full force and in effect upon its adoption.
Adopted by the Board of Commissioners and signed by the Mayor th' 3rd day of January, 2011.
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Aa n G. Peck, Mayor
(SEAL)
ATTEST:
Lieu Ann Elsey, CMC, Cit114vrt