WORTHINGTON -- A handful of local outdoors enthusiasts turned up for a "town hall meeting" Wednesday evening hosted by Sportsmen for Change, a state organization promoting dedicated funding for clean water and habitat, at the Southwest Bowbenders headquarters south of Worthington.
Garry Leaf, executive director of Sportsmen for Change, explained that when Minnesotans go to the polls on Nov. 4, one of the questions they will be asked is regarding a constitutional amendment that would create that dedicated funding:
"Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to dedicate funding to protect our drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore our wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve our arts and cultural heritage; to support our parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore our lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater by increasing the sales tax and use tax rate beginning July 1, 2009, by three-eighths of one percent on taxable sales until the year 2034?"
The current general sales and use tax rate is 6.5 percent, and all sales tax revenue is deposited in the state general fund. If the ballot question passes, it would increase the general sales and use tax rate by three-eights of one percentage point to 6.875 percent.
The proceeds would be dedicated to: (33 percent) a newly created Outdoor Heritage Fund to be spent only to restore, protect and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests and habitat for game, fish and wildlife; (33 percent) a newly created Clean Water Fund to be spent only to protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater and at least 5 percent spent to protect drinking water sources; (14.25 percent) to a newly created Parks and Trails Fund to be spent only to support parks and trails of regional and statewide significance; and (19.75 percent) to a newly created Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to be spent only for the arts, arts education, arts access and to preserve Minnesota's history and cultural heritage.
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"This idea first came to fruition in 1988" when a group of sportsmen gathered in the basement of a Bloomington department store, Leaf explained, later adding that it took so long to get on the ballot because of the state's requirement for legislative involvement in the amendment process. "Basically, this is supported by all the sporting groups."
Using a Power Point presentation, Leaf detailed the importance of the outdoors and outdoor activities to Minnesota, including the economic impact, and also offered specific information about how wildlife habitat has declined and continues to decline in the state.
"That's the problem with a lot of this stuff -- once it's gone, it's gone," he said in reference to forest lands that will be coming up for sale.
Leaf encouraged those present to support the ballot measure and to encourage their relatives and friends to also support it.
"The whole goal of this -- we always talk about hunting and fishing in the past tense, about how it once was -- is to make the future of hunting and fishing better than it is today," Leaf said.
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