Budget cuts to hit Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. in a big way

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June 18, 2011

Progress staff reports Jacksonville Daily Progress The Jacksonville Daily Progress Sat Jun 18, 2011, 06:30 PM CDT

JACKSONVILLE — When it comes to state budget cuts, no entity seems bullet proof.

Case-in-point the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

According to published reports and an employee newsletter, the department is expecting its current budget to be slashed by $145.6 million over the two-year cycle of the budget.

That figure amounts to a hefty 20.8-percent decrease.

The cuts include $44 million in salaries/operating, $11.91 in capital equipment, $41.59 million in capital construction and $17.65 million in new bond authority for construction and repairs, among other items.

The state budget also effectively zeros out 2012-13 funding for Local Park Grants, trimming that program by nearly $40 million, but leaving $1.5 million to continue to monitor recent grants already in progress.

Texas’ budget bill calls for the department to cut its number of full-time employees by 260.

A rider could return some of those jobs, however.

The TPWD plans to make the reduction as much as possible by not filling already vacant positions and through attrition leading up to the next budget cycle which starts on Sept. 1

It is anticipated that some layoffs may still take place.

One area that should see very little change is the state’s public hunting program.

There were early worries that it could also face significant cuts, but it now appears as though that area will remain as is.

One segment that looks unlikely to go unscathed in the process is Texas state parks.

Both the initial House and Senate budget proposals call for the agency to cease operating seven state parks throughout the state.

Those closures are expected to save $2.7 million, with as many as 60 full-time jobs getting axed in the process.

Funding for the hunter education program is also expected to be reduced.

Hunter education is a requirement for all new hunters born in or after September 1971.

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Budget cuts to hit Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. in a big way

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