New Mexico State Park Fee Increase Proposal

[trailertraveler]

New Mexico has announced a proposed fee increase. The public comment period will end March 29, 2024. The changes are proposed to go into effect July 1, 2024. The changes include: elimination of the day use fee for residents, raising the day use fee for nonresidents to $10/day, elimination of the annual day use and camping passes, increasing the base cost of dispersed and developed campsites to $20.00, charging $10/night for each utility (i.e. electric, water, sewer), charging $10/dump at dump stations.

[jbh]

In other words, doubling to tripling the rates and fees. Charging resort prices for non-resort camping and amenities.

[2gypsies]

It sounds like they're in financial trouble because of all the past freebies and cheap camping.  Compare what they're charging now to other state parks.  They're behind in raising prices.

[Kirk W]

FEE TYPE ~ CURRENT COST ~ PROPOSED COST ~ REVENUE IMPACT

Day Use (Resident) $5.00 per vehicle ~ Free for Residents    -$862,500

Day Use (Non-resident) $5.00 per vehicle ~ $10.00 per vehicle  +$575,0001

Primitive Camping $8.00 per vehicle ~ $20.00 per vehicle    +$1,728,000

Developed Camping $10.00 per vehicle ~ $20.00 per vehicle  +$2,048,000

Utilities (water, electric, sewer) $4.00 per day ~ $10.00 per day   +$700,000

Dump Station Fee Free ~ $10.00 per use   +$250,000

From the footnotes

3) Absorb primitive camping fee category into the developed camping fee category which eliminates the differentiated fee schedule for camping:

5) Increase utility fees to $10 per night per utility and implement a dump station fee: Currently State Parks charge $4 per night for electric and sewer, but do not charge for water.

[kb0zke]

Most of us have traveled enough to know that each State seems to have a unique way of paying for things. Some States charge for everything in a State Park, often with a higher rate for non-residents. Others seem to think that campers will spend money while in the area, which increases sales tax income, so they keep the prices fairly low. Since everything eventually comes out of the taxpayers' pockets anyway, it doesn't really make much difference how it is funded. Some ways just seem more painful than others.

I'm not a New Mexico resident, so I don't have an official vote, but I do have a financial vote. If I think that staying at a KOA, for example, is the same price as the State Park and offers more of what I want, then I'll stay there. If I think the State Park is the better value, I'll stay there.

Case in point: We have family in Lincoln, Nebraska. There are several State Parks within a few miles of Lincoln, and some of the family like to camp there. A few years ago we decided we would join them, so we made arrangements to be at neighboring campsites. Being Nebraska residents, they had the resident annual pass, so it didn't cost them anything to come into the park, just the camping fee. Since we are not Nebraska residents, and were there only for a short time, we had to buy a day pass for the motorhome and another one for the car, both at the higher non-resident rate. Then the camp fees were at a higher rate, too. Now, when we go to Lincoln, we stay at the Lancaster Event Center, which is more convenient and costs less. When we lived in Missouri, those same family members couldn't get over the fact that it didn't cost them anything to enter a Missouri State Park, and that they would pay the same for a campsite as a Missouri resident.