FILE - The Mission Lake A Shelter campsite in the Willamette Mission State Park in Oregon in June 29, 2018.
Courtesy of the Oregon State Parks
Oregon State Parks is proposing an increased rate range for the use of campsites and other facilities starting in 2025. But fees won’t be increasing substantially anytime soon.
The parks department’s current range limit for fees is $40 per night for RVs, for example. And at a current rate of about $33 per night, the agency doesn’t have a lot of space to raise rates before hitting that limit. The proposal would increase the range limit to $52.
Spokesperson for Oregon State Parks, Chris Havel, said the increase will give the department “breathing room” for increases, but won’t increase the raises in incremental fees.
“Next year, when we want to go up a buck, can we? Yep, plenty of room in the range,” he said. “And we can keep doing that for several years before we have to come back and amend the range again.”
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Ranges will vary based on campsite type, extra amenities and group facility types. And out-of-state campers will have to pay 25% more.
The basis for this added cost comes from the agency’s funding sources: One-third of funding comes from park visitor fees, and another 16% comes from license plate registrations.
“If you don’t license your vehicle in Oregon, the only money you put into the state park system is what you pay when you show up,” Havel said. “So putting a surcharge on (out-of-state) RV sites balances that, and provides the revenue needed to keep the system open and operating.”
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The fees, license registrations, and other funding go into a pot that is applied to parks across the state. Funding is vital for keeping parks open, Havel said. But increased fees can make them unaffordable, and accessibility is a top priority.
“It would break our hearts if somebody says, ‘I’d love to visit, but I can’t afford it,’” Havel said.
So Havel recommends that people submit public comments before Aug. 30, or attend one of the three public hearings.
A virtual hearing will be on July 31, and two in-person hearings will be held on Aug. 6 and Aug. 13.
“We’d like people to share their personal experience,” Havel said. “What will this do to you? Hearing about that when we’ve got a specific proposal on the table is even more important because our commission, our policymakers, need to know.”
