Resolve, Directing the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry To Conduct an Internal Review of the Snowmobile Trail Fund
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 0505
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: SAVIELLO, LONG, SHERMAN

Legislative Document 
No. 505 
S.P. 195 
In Senate, February 19, 2013 
Resolve, Directing the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation 
and Forestry To Conduct an Internal Review of the Snowmobile 
Trail Fund 
(EMERGENCY) 
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator SAVIELLO of Franklin. 
Cosponsored by Representative LONG of Sherman and 
Senator: SHERMAN of Aroostook. 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, recreational snowmobiling in the State contributes more than 
$350,000,000 per year to the State's economy and accounts for at least 3,100 full-time 
jobs in the State; and 
Whereas, a large part of this economic activity takes place in rural areas of the 
State, thus providing an important source of economic activity in areas with limited 
economic development opportunities; and 
Whereas, the State has an unrivaled statewide snowmobile trail system consisting of 
13,500 miles of groomed snowmobile trails maintained by 290 snowmobiling clubs and 
municipalities; and 
Whereas, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Division of 
Parks and Public Lands, Off-road Recreational Vehicle Division uses a portion of 
resident and nonresident snowmobile registration fees to reimburse the clubs and 
municipalities for part of the local costs for capital equipment and trail maintenance and 
grooming; and 
Whereas, increasing costs for capital equipment, fuel and trail maintenance and 
recent declines in snowmobile registrations are putting increasing financial pressure on 
the clubs and municipalities that must be resolved in order to ensure the quality of the 
trail system; and 
Whereas, there has been no effort in the past to systematically investigate and 
identify opportunities for greater economic efficiencies within the Snowmobile Trail 
Fund to resolve questions of economic equity in funding clubs and municipalities and 
between the Snowmobile Trail Fund and other funds in the maintenance of state-owned 
trails; and 
Whereas, the future of snowmobiling in the State is directly linked to the need for 
an economically efficient, equitable and predictable program for providing funds to the 
snowmobile clubs and municipalities that develop and maintain the State's excellent and 
economically important snowmobile trail system; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore, be it 
Sec. 1.  Internal review.  Resolved:  That the Commissioner of Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry, referred to in this resolve as "the commissioner," shall review 
the expenditures and operations of the Snowmobile Trail Fund, referred to in this resolve 
as "the fund," operated by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, 
Division of Parks and Public Lands, Off-road Recreational Vehicle Division as provided 
by this section and report the findings of that review to the Joint Standing Committee on 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry as provided in section 2. 
In conducting this review, the commissioner shall consult with representatives of 
statewide snowmobiling organizations, municipalities, local snowmobile clubs and other 
appropriate stakeholder groups. 
The commissioner's review must include, but is not limited to: 
1.  A review and documentation of the allocation of funds to the fund in each of the 
past 10 fiscal years and the amount of funds carried forward in the fund from one fiscal 
year to the next.  For any fiscal year from which funds were carried forward into a 
subsequent fiscal year, the review must include a written explanation as to why those 
funds were carried forward. This review must also propose written criteria, to be applied 
prospectively, for justifying the conditions under which funds in excess of $100,000 per 
fiscal year from the fund may be carried forward into a subsequent fiscal year; 
2.  An analysis of the equity of cost sharing between the fund and the ATV 
Recreational Management Fund for the maintenance of state-owned rail trails. This 
analysis must include cost-sharing expenditures in those 2 funds for each of the past 10 
fiscal years and must specify the criteria used in the analysis to determine the equitability 
of expenditures; 
3.  A justification for the employment of full-time staff to oversee the operations of 
the Down East Sunrise Trail and for the employment of a full-time planner for the Off-
road Recreational Vehicle Division; 
4.  The development of a proposed monthly reporting system detailing the revenue to 
and expenditures from the fund, including all nongrant expenditures and a 
recommendation that the reports be submitted monthly to the joint standing committee of 
the Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs and the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation 
and forestry matters; 
5.  The development of a proposed written policy for distributing funds from the fund 
to municipalities and snowmobile clubs that ensures, to the fullest extent possible, that 
the funds are distributed in an equitable manner; and 
6.  A plan for the elimination of state-administered snowmobile trail grooming 
projects; and be it further 
Sec. 2.  Report.  Resolved:  That the commissioner shall submit a written report 
on all matters included in section 1 to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry no later than December 4, 2013.  The report must include 
recommendations on all matters required to be included in the review under section 1 and 
may include draft legislation necessary to implement any such recommendations.  
Following its review of the commissioner's report, the Joint Standing Committee on 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry may submit a bill to the Second Regular Session 
of the 126th Legislature to implement any mandatory reporting requirements or to 
authorize the adoption by the commissioner of any rules necessary to implement the 
commissioner's recommendations. 
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This resolve directs the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to 
conduct a review of aspects of expenditures from the Snowmobile Trail Fund that relate 
to the justification of certain expenditures from that fund, equity in the use of those funds 
in allocations to municipalities and local snowmobile clubs, equity in the cost sharing of 
funds between the Snowmobile Trail Fund and the ATV Recreational Management Fund 
with respect to state-owned rail trails, the elimination of state-administered snowmobile 
trail grooming projects and the implementation of regular reporting requirements and 
written policies to ensure equity in the use of funds in the Snowmobile Trail Fund. 
In conducting this review, the commissioner is directed to consult with 
representatives of statewide snowmobiling organizations, municipalities and local 
snowmobile clubs and other appropriate stakeholder groups and to submit a report by 
December 4, 2013 to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and 
Forestry.  Following its review of the commissioner's report, the committee may submit a 
bill to the Second Regular Session of the 126th Legislature to implement any mandatory 
reporting requirements or to authorize the adoption by the commissioner of any rules 
necessary to implement the commissioner's recommendations.