Parks and Recreation budget hearing covers staff FTE conversions, Wi‑Fi expansion, cabins, deferred maintenance and International Peace Garden grants

The Appropriations - Education and Environment Division opened the hearing on House Bill 1019 on funding for the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, with agency officials walking the committee through a lengthy “long sheet” of recurring and one‑time requests.

The most immediate personnel request was funding to cover the agency’s contribution to retirement and other employer benefits for nine employees the department proposes to convert from temporary hourly status to full‑time equivalents. Cody Schulz, director of North Dakota Parks and Rec., said the conversion would add primarily the agency retirement contribution and a small increase for the employee assistance program; he told the committee that “the incremental cost increase, from converting them from that temporary status to FTE status is what's in that line item,” and that the total is $269,000 for the biennium for all nine employees.

Committee members asked about several operating and information technology lines. Schulz and agency staff said a statewide NDIT rate formula accounts for an IT increase applied across agencies; the Parks and Rec request includes both recurring IT rate funding (about $110,228 in one discussion) and one‑time funding to extend Wi‑Fi to park shops, cabins and outbuildings. The committee heard two separate Wi‑Fi items: a recurring/ongoing line discussed at about $150,000 to extend service to agency buildings and a one‑time appropriation listed later on the sheet for $350,000 to bring Wi‑Fi to additional park facilities. Schulz clarified to Representatives Martinson and Hansen that the Wi‑Fi funding was meant to reach staff buildings and operational sites, not to provide public consumer Wi‑Fi service.

The department also presented a $1 million pilot project to automate park services, covering items such as automated locks for cabins and vending machines for kayak and bike rentals; agency staff said that operating kiosks and some rental automation would depend on improved connectivity. Schulz described the pilot as targeted investments “we know we can automate” and said the Wi‑Fi request “plays into it.” Representative Hansen noted the kiosks would support check‑in and rental operations.

A major capital request in the long sheet is $15 million for deferred maintenance and capital projects drawn from the SIF (Strategic Investment Fund as referenced in the hearing). Schulz said the department maintains a priority list and updates it every two years after the legislative session and asked the committee to consider a statement of legislative intent that would allow the department to purchase nearby service infrastructure when park footprints are in flood plains. He used Rough Rider State Park as an example where on‑site building is not possible and said the department would prefer authority to buy an existing shop two or three miles away if necessary; committee counsel indicated amendment language could be added to provide that authority.

On signage and lower‑priority items, the department said a $2 million line for state park signage was included in Gov. Burgum’s request but removed in Gov. Armstrong’s budget; agency staff said higher‑priority infrastructure would take precedence over that signage funding.

The committee heard a request for matching funds to leverage FEMA dollars for construction of comfort stations that would double as storm shelters. Agency staff said FEMA was expected to provide about $2.75 million in federal funds and that a state match line (listed in the bill as SIF money) would match that federal amount. The department said engineering was about 95% complete and projects awaited final environmental and historic clearances; they said completion during the coming biennium was possible but would depend on bid results.

The hearing included multiple requests tied to the International Peace Garden and the adjacent International Music Camp. The long sheet includes an operating grant increase and capital requests (dining hall and dorm updates; a sewer upgrade) intended to allow the Garden and Music Camp to house more visitors and extend shoulder‑season activity. Jeff Indovina, chief of business services for Parks and Rec., explained a recurring issue for cross‑border projects: how to account for Canadian‑dollar donations and matching when the state provides U.S. dollars. He described the department’s current administrative practice of converting reimbursements using the Federal Reserve government‑to‑government exchange rate on the clearing date, and asked the committee for policy direction on whether to calculate exchange rates at the time of payment or at each reimbursement. Committee members said the department’s current practice kept the status quo and asked staff to draft amendment language to provide that clarity.

On recreation grant programs, the department reiterated the request for a State Parks matching grant authority (the long sheet shows a $5 million authority with roughly half as cash and the other half as matching authority the department can leverage) and requested continuation of city and county park system matching grants. Parks staff said prior rounds had high demand, with roughly $35 million in applications for available funds in earlier rounds, and that the department had systems in place to run competitive rounds. The department also proposed a new Outdoor Fine Arts Venue Improvement grant (listed at $10 million from SIF) to support outdoor theaters and similar venues; staff said they could cap individual grants or run tiered levels and that leftover funds could be blended into typical recreation grant rounds.

Other items on the long sheet included continued funding authority for the International Peace Garden operating grant, requests for construction of full‑service cabins (one‑time funding noted in the packet), replacement equipment lines, and a continuation of an Outdoor Education Initiative that the department plans to sustain through grants and donations if state support is limited. The department also described modest donation revenue to date—about $172,000—from roundups, local sponsorships and foundation activity used to match projects.

Why it matters: the long sheet contains a mix of recurring costs (personnel and IT rates) and one‑time capital projects (deferred maintenance, comfort stations, International Peace Garden projects) that would shape park operations and visitor services over the next biennium. Several requests rely on federal matches or outside donations and some expenditures (e.g., building outside a park footprint) require explicit legislative language or audit assurances before staff can proceed.

Ending: Committee members said they would continue to work the long sheet and refine dollar amounts before finalizing the bill language and any amendments. Cody Schulz and staff will return for follow‑up conversations about amendment language, carryover authority, and the department’s priority lists.