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Home My WebLink AboutResolution 4044 Support for Full Funding for National Parks, Battlefields, and Monuments COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 4044 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA, IN SUPPORT OF FULL FUNDING FOR NATIONAL PARKS, BATTLEFIELDS AND MOMNUMENTS. Preamble The City Commission of the City of Bozeman urges Montana's congressional delegation to recognize the great natural, cultural and economic value Yellowstone and Glacier national parks and the area's other nationally significant places, such as its national battlefields and monuments, provide to the businesses and citizens of this state. Chronic under funding of the National Park System, which is well documented, puts our state's national parks, battlefields, monuments, and Montana employers and employees who depend on them at risk. We urge Montana's delegation to introduce, support, and pass legislation that appropriates full funding for the national parks-increases the National Park Service annual operating budget and eliminates the parks maintenance and road repair backlogs. WHEREAS, The City Commission of the City of Bozeman has a great interest in ensuring the public, economic benefits, and general welfare of the Montana's national parks, battlefields, and monuments are maintained and protected for present Jind future generations; and WHEREAS, Yellowstone and Glacier national parks generale-=-substimtial economic benefit for Montana through employment, tax revenues, visi"tar. spending, business expenditures to service visitors, National Park Service expenditUres.. ror park employee salaries, supplies, services, construction and maintenance programs, etc.; and WHEREAS, a General Accountability Office (GAO) report released in 2006 documented National Park Service operating budgets, when adjusted for inflation, are further declining, the accommodation of newly mandated responsibilities including rising energy prices, homeland security requirements, congressionally approved pay raises and other mandates has resulted in substantial park operations cutbacks; and WHEREAS, the Congressional Research Service has identified between $4.5 to $9.7 billion backlog of overdue maintenance, road and other infrastructure repair resulting from decades of annual shortfalls in parks' operating budgets; and WHEREAS, a series of business plan analyses conducted by business and policy experts in conjunction with the National Park Service indicate that the parks' annual operations budget shortfall is in excess of $800 million, at least 32 percent short of what is needed to operate all national parks and an estimated 35 percent short of the amount needed to operate Yellowstone National Park; and WHEREAS, chronic under funding puts our parks, battlefields, monuments and the communities, economies and businesses that rely upon them at risk and thwarts the federal mandate for our national parks "to provide for the enjoyment of the [parks] in such a manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Commission of the City of Bozeman supports full funding of the National Park Service annual operations budgets and elimination of maintenance and road repair backlogs for all park, battlefield and monument units. We urge Montana's congressional delegation to support and pass legislation that accomplishes these goals. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Commission of the City of Bozeman, Montana, this 23rd day of July 2007. ~tc!t. J SS yor -- ... yo ATT-EST: - APPROVED AS TO FORM: Bozeman ~ ;iirr 2001 Office of the City Commission MaYC'L Jefl KraUe;'; CC1mmi. ssi 1:\n01'::.; Span Becker Y aar en ~Ja(':'ob.sc..n Steve KiICllllc'ff ,Jell Pupp CITY OF BOZEMAN 411 East Main Street P.O. Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771 Phone: (406) 582-2300 Fax: (406) 582-2.,23 TDD: (406) 582-2301 wWIV.bozeman. net July 31, 2007 Representative Dennis Rehberg 516 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Rep. Rehberg, On July 23, 2007, the City Commissioners of the City of Bozeman, MT passed Commission Resolution No. 4044, Support of Full Funding for National Parks, Battlefields, and Monuments. I have enclosed a signed copy of this resolution at the request of Daniellc Blank, the Community Outreach Coordinator from the Yellowstone Field Office/Northem Rockies Region ofthe National Parks Conservation Association in Livingston, MI. Ms. Blank can be rcached at 406-222-4478. If you have any further questions for the City of Bozeman, please contact me in the City Clerk's Office at 406-582-2320 or cdelaney@bozeman.net. Enclosure: City of Bozeman Commission Resolution No. 4044 Bozeman b:t'td ~ii? 2001 office of the City Commission May()r cJeff K;:auss Commissioners Sean Beckel Faar'en IJa.cC~bSC~Il Steve Firchhe,ff ,Jeff Pelf'P CITY OF BOZEMAN 411 East Main Street P.O. Box 1230 Bozeman. MT 59771 Phone: (406) 582-2300 fax: (406) 582-2323 TDD: (406) 582-2301 IVIVIV.bozema n. net July 31, 2007 Senator Jon Tester Senate Dirksen Building Room B40 E Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Tester, On July 23,2007, the City Commissioners of the City of Bozeman, MT passed Commission Resolution No. 4044, Support of Full Funding for National Parks, Battlefields, and Monuments. I have enclosed a signed copy of this resolution at the request of Oanielle Blank, the Community Outreach Coordinator from the Yellowstone Field OfficelNorthern Rockies Region of the National Parks Conservation Association in Livingston, MT. Ms. Blank can be reached at 406-222-4478. If you have any further questions for the City of Bozeman, please contact me in the City Clerk's Office at 406-582-2320 or cdelaney@bozeman.net. Sincerely, C nthia Jordan Delaney Acting City Clerk Enclosure: City of Bozeman Commission Resolution No. 4044 Bozeman b.e:d A11-Amerlca City , 1111.' 2001 office of the City Commission MilY'~'1 ,1eff Vrauss (~oJ[uni s s i c,np. r~.:; Sean Bp.cker faaren Jar.obson Steve Kirchhoff Jeff Rupp CITY OF BOZEMAN 411 East Main Street P.O. Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771 Phone: (4061 582-2300 fax: (406) 582-2323 TDO: (406) 582-2301 www-l'ozeman.net July 31, 2007 Senator Max Baucus 511 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Baucus, On July 23,2007, the City Commissioners of the City of Bozeman, MT passed Commission Resolution No. 4044, Support of Full Funding for National Parks, Battlefields, and Monuments. I have enclosed a signed copy of this resolution at the request of Danielle Blank, the Community Outreach Coordinator from the Yellowstone Field Office/Northem Rockies Region of the National Parks Conservation Association in Livingston, MT. Ms. Blank can be reached at 406~222-4478. If you have any further questions for the City of Bozeman, please contact me in the City Clerk's Office at 406-582-2320 or cdelaney@bozeman.net. Sincerely, Enclosure: City of Bozeman Commission Resolution No. 4044