Officials plan to raise fees for lodging and camp sites at Arkansas State Parks by 10 percent.
The Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission has tentatively approved the hike to make up for revenue that fell because fewer people have been using those services. A second vote is scheduled for Aug. 19, when the panel will listen to public comment.
The increase, projected to generate about $1 million per year in revenue, would affect camping fees that now range from $30 for a site with water and a 50-amp electrical hookup at Mississippi River State Park near Marianna to $10 for camping in undeveloped "overflow areas."
At state lodges, the cost for a room ranges from $65 for a room with a queen-size bed at Petit Jean State Park to $212 for a two-person suite at Mount Magazine State Park from March through November. Cabin rates run from $67 a night to more than $300.
The higher prices would go into effect at the first of the year, said Richard Davies, director of the state Department of Parks and Tourism.
The proposed increase comes after a year in which spending by families at state parks was down, which State Parks Director Greg Butts blamed on the recession, unusually rainy weather and ice storms that caused some parks to temporarily close.
"The commission's perspective is to keep pace with inflation and try to stay on track with the major renovation and capital improvement plans," Butts said. "In order to do that, there must be a rate increase."
In the fiscal year that ended June 30, the parks system collected $22.5 million in fees from camping, facility rentals and other user services, a drop of more than $400,000 compared to the year before, Butts said.
The increase must also be approved by the legislature's Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations, Butts said. He expects the committee to vote on the proposal in October.
The commission's last rate increase, which took effect this year, increased fees for camping at most sites by about $1, Butts said.
