ever wonder where your snowmobile dollars actually go? Here is the answer....the best I have found so far at least.

"Revenues for the recreational and snowmobile trail grant program are derived from snowmobile registration fees, snowmobile trail permit fees, and from a portion of the State gasoline tax. The current snowmobile registration fee is $22.00 for three years. Of the $22.00 per three-year registration fee, $17.00 goes into the snowmobile registration fee fund.

The $17.00 deposited into the snowmobile registration fee fund is designated for law enforcement and safety training (not less than $14.00) and administration of the registration provisions of Part 821 (not more than $3.00). Deposits into the registration fee fund draw interest and are carried forward in the fund into succeeding years until expended.

The remaining $5.00 of the registration fee is deposited into the recreational snowmobile trail improvement fund.

Under Part 821, in addition to the registration requirement, a person who operates a snowmobile in Michigan, including out-of-state operators, is required to purchase a Michigan snowmobile trail permit sticker. The current annual permit fee is $20.00. Of this, $18.75 is placed in the recreational snowmobile trail improvement fund. The agent selling the permit retains $0.75 per permit and the remaining $0.50 is used for administration of the permit system.

Funds from the snowmobile trail improvement fund are appropriated to the Department by the State Legislature for the purpose of planning, constructing, maintaining, and acquiring trails and areas for the use of snowmobile, or access to those trails and areas, and basic snowmobile facilities.

Two percent (2%) of the State gasoline tax is deposited into the recreational improvement fund. Fourteen percent (14%) of this is transferred into the recreational snowmobile trail improvement fund. The registration fees, trail permit fees, and that portion of the gas tax transferred into the snowmobile trail improvement fund draw interest and are carried forward into succeeding years in their respective funds until they are expended."

What this breaks down to a year per a snowmobile is:
$4.66 to saftey training and law enforcement
$2.25 for administration and sales
$20.42 for snowmobile trail fund
and .28% of the gas tax collected everyyear is put toward the snowmobile trail fund

i hope its simular here in NB, which i am sure it is.............

That was interesting to know, thanks for that bit of info.

if i read that right michigan sledders pay $7.33 per year and in ontario we pay $170.00 per year plus a $15.00 licence permit. where's the difference ?

I'm not quite sure what you are saying there Paul.

Paul, we pay $20 a year for Trail Permit and $22 every 3 years for registration.

i got more info about mich money pi$$ed away.
if you have the michigan outdoor news....(feb-03)
there is a artical in it about a federal audit,
of how the mich DNR misspent $2.4 million
they had accepted the mistake and agreed to,
repay the money to the fish and game fund. a payment of $1.9 mill,
will be payed to the game fund,
and that money will be taken from the
GET READY FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the snowmobile and orv... fund.
the remaining ballance will come from general fund's.



but......but......but .....the d.n.r has a alibi
they clame they f#*%ed on there time cards
it seem's the officers charged the fish and game department
for time spent on snowmobile inforcment.
this took place in 1996-and-1997.
so they should have charged the snowmobile fund for,
this service,
this all has been explained to the michigan snowmobile association,
and the legislature.
so every thing is AOK now.
i am so happy that my trail permit money is wisely spent. :doh:

No matter how you put it, I have never seen any improvements where I ride. Can I get a refund? lol :D

Originally posted by ARCTICZRT600@Jun 12 2003, 07:56 AM
No matter how you put it, I have never seen any improvements where I ride.* Can I get a refund?* lol* :D
I'am with ya on that one man!
It wouldn't matter if the fund had 10 billion dollars in it, the government would find a way to pi$$ it away!
Kind of ironic, if you or I stole from the taxpayers, we would be in prison, must be different when your an elected official?

Funny how MSA and the government thinks by raising trail fees it will make the trails better!??
You can groom that same one trail that the loggers made 150 years ago or abanded rail grade all day long and NEVER have it smooth with 1000 sleds an hour traveling it.
My answer to that,,,,build more trails. Gollyeeee Gomer, that's what the state does when the roads get to packed, guess us scum snowmobilers dont qualify!

Originally posted by Mikadoo@Jun 12 2003, 06:51 PM
I'am with ya on that one man!
It wouldn't matter if the fund had 10 billion dollars in it, the government would find a way to pi$$ it away!
Kind of ironic, if you or I stole from the taxpayers, we would be in prison, must be different when your an elected official?

Funny how MSA and the government thinks by raising trail fees it will make the trails better!??
You can groom that same one trail that the loggers made 150 years ago or abanded rail grade all day long and NEVER have it smooth with 1000 sleds an hour traveling it.
My answer to that,,,,build more trails. Gollyeeee Gomer, that's what the state does when the roads get to packed, guess us scum snowmobilers dont qualify!
When you become a politician you get 3 cards.

1) get out of jail free card
2) permit to steal and get away with it card
3) God complex acceptance card

Arcticzrt600, you are partially right, no matter how much money they give us the trails won't get better with the current amount of volunteers and traffic. Those people that groom VOLUNTEER to do it, they are not payed. They do it becuase they love it. If you pay someone to do this job, you lose the most important part of grooming, the enjoyment and passion for what you are doing. So that leaves 2 quick fixes for what you want---either fewer people riding or more volunteers.

Mikadoo, part of the funds from the Snowmobile Trail Fund is put towards developing new trail. We try to develop new trail as much as possible. New trails and roads are hard to develop and there is alot of paperwork to go through to get permission, and thats if its private property.....state and fed property is a nightmare.

straycat, I doubt to many of us can get the information of the FULL story very easily. Snowmobiling is a seperate division within the DNR. The time that COs put into snowmobile law enforcement should be paid for by the snowmobiling division. Before you come in here and bash, please provide us more proof other then "I heard".

M10rules,.....i never sead i(HEARD)anything!!!!!
it was in( mi, outdoor news.)
rember,.....i'm on your side......I THINK

I agree with Straycat and zrt600. I've been riding in the U.P.for the last ten years and there is still ALOT of room for improvements. I don't mind paying 20 dollars a year for a trail permit, but man I wonder where that 18.75 for trail improvements is going. To me its not a grooming issue,with the amount of trafic the U.P. has I think they do the best they can. How about actually marking the trails and replacing those worthless paper signs (orange arrows and magic marker that wore off five years ago) with ingraved wooden signs like Northern Wisconsin has. Funny thing is Wisc. does'nt even have a trail permit fee. Leave it to polititions,or the DNR,for that matter to improperly manage an "improvement fund".