Recreation Fee Revenue Spending Plans and Accomplishment Report

IB 2019-056
Information Bulletin

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
https://www.blm.gov

August 14, 2019

In Reply Refer To:
2930 (250) P

EMS TRNSMISSION 08/20/2019
Information Bulletin No. 2019-056

To:                   All BLM Employees
                        Attn:  Budget Staff and Outdoor Recreation Planners

From:               Assistant Director for Planning and Resources

Subject:           Recreation Fee Revenue Spending Plans and Accomplishment Report

The purpose of this Information Bulletin (IB) is to:

  1. Encourage expenditure of L1232 (recreation fee) balances and provide references to fee program guidance from law and policy.
  2. Improve Bureau of Land Management (BLM) transparency with the public about collections and expenditures of fee revenues as required by law through development of annual L1232 reports.
  3. Clarify allowable spending of recreation fee revenues.

References

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) P.L 108-447, as amended;
BLM Manual Section 2930 Recreation Permits and Fees (MS-2930);
BLM Recreation Permit and Fee Administration Handbook (H-2930-1).

FLREA intent

FLREA allows land management agencies to use collected recreation fees to supplement appropriated funds and provide a steady stream of funding for recreation deferred maintenance, site enhancements and operations.  The law details how agencies should inform the public of agency plans for collecting fees and expenditures, and directed agencies to highlight the benefits of their fees in well-managed and well maintained recreation sites and areas.

Guidance on spending

The BLM’s current L1232 balance has gone from 70 to 110 percent of collections over the past 5 years resulting in large prior year carry over balances. 

FLREA provides sideboards on how fee collections may be spent:

  1. Section 808: No more than an average of 15 percent of agency revenues may be spent on administrative overhead and indirect costs related to the recreation fee program (i.e., management of recreation program, and other overhead).  These costs are accounted for by use of the L1232 PE code FV.  Expenditures that directly benefit a recreation fee site, area, or program (e.g., campground rehabilitation project) are not to be considered in the 15 percent limitation;
  2. Section 807: No less than 80 percent of the revenues from a site or area shall remain available for expenditure at that site or area (field offices).
  3. Section 807: The percentage of revenue retained above may be reduced, but to no less than 60 percent, and only on an annual basis, and when the collections “exceed the reasonable needs of that unit or area” for that fiscal year.
  4. Section 807: The balance of the recreation fees and site-specific agency pass revenues shall remain available to that agency for expenditure on an agency-wide basis.

Examples of allowable 1232 account expenditures.  Where FLREA provides specifics on the use of fees at sites or areas (field offices), the language from the act is shown below in italics. For a complete list, see FLREA Section 808.

  • Seasonal labor supporting recreation fee sites, areas, and Special Recreation Permits (SRPs);
  • Volunteer camp host reimbursement; support of volunteer and partnership projects;
  • Equipment, materials, supplies and service contracts for operating recreation fee sites;
  • Repair, maintenance, and enhancement of recreation sites (or areas), including those used by SRP holders;
  • Interpretation, visitor information, visitor services, and signs including for SRP holders;
  • Habitat restoration directly related to wildlife-dependent recreation;
  • Direct operating or capital costs associated with the cost of collecting the recreation fee including electronic fee collection technology;
  • Labor costs directly involved in recreation fee program activities for example a law enforcement ranger providing visitor protection in a recreation area; a recreation technician collecting fees or counting fee envelopes in the office; maintenance staff repairing and maintaining a campground;  
  • Streamlining the SRP application process and administering SRPs;
  • Planning and establishing new fee sites;
  • Monitoring the SRP holders’ use or activity (e.g. monitoring an OHV race);
  • Improving access to SRP holder’s permitted use areas (e.g. parking areas, trailheads, trails, river put-in/take out);

BLM Manual MS-2930, like FLREA, focuses guidance on spending fees collected at recreation sites.  MS 2930, page 24 states:

The BLM’s goal is to use 100 percent of the fee revenues at the site of collection providing they can be used efficiently and effectively.  Revenues are to be used: first, at the site of collection; second, to establish new fee sites within the Field Office of collection; and third, in the state where fees are collected to offset existing and new fee site costs.

The manual guidance is consistent with FLREA, although it does not address substantial SRPs, Individual SRPs, and Interagency Pass revenues, which account for approximately 60 percent of the BLM’s FLREA collections.  These revenues should also follow the manual and handbook guidance as applied to those areas or field offices (instead of “sites”) at which it is collected.

The BLM uses Business Plans (in part) to forecast recreation fee income and provide a long term guide for expenditure of these funds at the local level.  These plans lay out the deferred maintenance, capital improvement projects, and visitor services to be enhanced and supported with recreation fees.  This IB provides a common template for implementing and explaining the progress of these expenditures on an annual basis.  Although Business Plans are not required for SRP and Interagency Pass revenues, the suggested attachment will capture the income generated and the spending of these revenues.

The Washington Office generates L1232 revenues from the sales of Interagency Passes online (https://store.usgs.gov/pass) and through third-party vendors, and will continue to use these funds for national initiatives including deployment of electronic fee collections, support of Recreation.gov, and development of an online SRP application system.

Spending priorities

The BLM offices should prioritize recreation projects and improvements that are cost effective, enhance self-sufficiency, reduce deferred maintenance, and focus on the Departmental priorities of improving access to recreation activities, streamlining fee collections, and permit processing.

Redistribution of L1232 funds

The BLM Recreation Permit and Fee Administration Handbook Chapter 2, section III.D, provides the following guidance on allocating L1232 funds:

If a state elects to allocate any portion of recreation fees to the state level, a committee of state recreation personnel, line management, and other appropriate state office representatives must develop guidelines for the retention and distribution of funds. Statewide expenditures of recreation fees must be used to reduce deferred recreation maintenance; to supplement a revolving fund targeted for recreation projects that legislation has authorized and that provide a demonstrable improvement to BLM-managed recreation sites and services, and that would otherwise take years to realize; or to fund recreation enhancements through volunteer projects.

Section 807 of FLREA should be considered before any state reallocation, and field offices or sites following their business plans would not be considered to have “exceeded the reasonable needs of that unit or area”.  

Public notification of FLREA spending

FLREA requires agencies to post the locations where work is performed using recreation fee or recreation pass revenues collected, and the BLM Manual MS-2930, page 19 states in part:

“Reports will be provided to the public through annual feedback on revenue collected, expenditures, projects completed, and priority projects for the following fiscal year.” 

To assist in planning for the use of fee dollars at the state and field level, attached is the “Annual Expenditure Summary & Spending Plan Template” (attachment 1), with accompanying spreadsheet “Excel Workbook Template - PE Input & Tables” (attachment 2) to collect data, and create tables for use in attachment 1.  An annual report(s) should be prepared that covers all recreation fee accounts at the field office.  It is recommended the Annual Expenditure Summary & Spending Plan Template be posted at https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-fees    

Any field office collecting recreation fees should utilize the attachments, which are designed for flexibility and can demonstrate out-year planning and carryover needed for deferred maintenance capital improvement projects and visitor services. Attachment 1 also serves as public reporting mechanism for annual expenditures.  If a state moves forward with a statewide redistribution of L1232 funds from field offices, a statewide spending plan should be prepared and updated each fiscal year.  Both the field office and (if necessary) statewide annual reports and spending plans should be publicly available by December 31 of each year and approved by the state director or other delegated official. 

For more information regarding contents in the IB, please contact David Ballenger, Recreation Permit and Fee Program Manager, at dballeng@blm.gov or 202-912-7642.

 

Signed by:                                                                   Authenticated by:
Steve Tryon                                                                 Robert M. Williams
Acting, Assistant Director                                          Division of Business Resoureces,WO-850
Resources and Planning

 

2 Attachments
     1- Annual Expenditure Summary & Spending Plan Template (2 pp)
     2- Excel Workbook Template - PE Input & Tables (4 tabs)

Attachments

Fiscal Year

2019