8555-R2_MSA_November2023_Newsletter

Sled Registrations to Go Up…. WITHOUT a single input from a Snowmobiler or even to support our cause… By John Monk

MAINE 2024 Resident Snowmobile Expires 6/30/2024 999999

MSA, like many of you just recently found out that the cost to register a sled is now going to be $5.00 higher to register this season along side of their ATV counterparts. When we heard this, we were extremely disappointed. MSA’s Trail Funding Committee has now just recently been assembled to explore our options to fund the $3 million of costs that is not sup ported by the grant program and this little back room slip-in was a bit discouraging, especially after researching the details. Representative Daniel Newman (Belgrade, Vienna, Rome, Fayette, New Sharon, and Mt. Vernon) put in LD-296 stating, “An Act to Ensure Municipalities Receive a Higher Per centage of All-terrain Vehicle Reg istration Fees to Cover Increased Expenses”. (Co-sponsors, Wayne PARRY of Arundel and James THORNE of Carmel) Notice it does not say “Snowmo bile” anywhere there. It was modi fied in committee. The meat and potatoes of this is towns do not get enough money for the town employees to handle the processing and printing costs of a registration. (I was initially told that the printing costs came out of the portion feeding the IFW, so this is even more of a clouded area) To be fair, that portion is way overdue for some sort of reimbursement.

MSA asked at the last fund increase (LD280, 2019-2020 season) for input on this and it was determined that due to MOSES, Maine’s Online Reg istration System, that most people are now registering on their phones with their feet up and slippers on in their living room. Yet the town they reside in still gets the agent fee… In four short years, I’m strug gling to believe that has changed enough to justify the fee going from $1 to $5. What makes this ugly, NO WHERE in this title does it say SNOWMOBILE… It seems when the bill was heard, a member of the IFW committee stated that the increase should also include snowmobiles. Gee gang, thanks for the shout out of involve ment. This bill was amended in committee and now sailed through with not even a vote on the floor according to Maine.Gov website at this writing. LD 296 only had two written testi monies. The sponsor put in a bill and even admitted in the testimony it came out with not exactly what he initially intended but sure seemed to hit the ones that carry the weight for the industry the hardest. The only other testimony presented was a “Not for or Against” from the IFW Dept. In fact, they stated that they reached out to the sponsor and explained that due to the recent increase cost to ATV registrations,

this will likely not be well received. The Dept, like I just explained, feel it is time to have a discussion, how ever. THANK YOU, Tim Peabody for standing tall and doing the right thing. Just like last month, a shout out to the IFW Brass is in order, as they understand the underlying issues of trying to fund the Snow mobile and ATV programs. If there is any take-a-ways to this article, be it this… Talk to your Legislator and inform them of the importance of the Snowmobile and ATV industries for Maine’s Economy. This little move clearly demonstrates stuff slips through the cracks in Augusta when people are not watching. Pri marily, ONE testimony out of how many legislators that we have made this happen. Poof! $4 increase for approximately 175,000 vehicles? That’s $704,000 that will never see the trail. That’s a lot of $6,300 club grants… In the grand scheme of things, is a $4 increase enough to make me stop snowmobiling? Hell no! But rolled into next season’s planned system increase to sustain trail would have been a more under standable procedure as opposed to back-to-back increases that most will never understand. Upward and Onward! Bring on the Cold Weather!

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