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Senate committee hears bill to add $5 snowmobile rental fee to fund grooming and repairs
Summary
Senate Bill 165 would add a $5 rental trail-enhancement fee charged at the point of rental and routed through Fish, Wildlife & Parks to local snowmobile clubs for grooming, vehicle repair and equipment; proponents emphasized safety and volunteer costs while staff explained FWP would distribute revenue through the existing grant program.
Senator Barry Usher introduced Senate Bill 165, telling the Senate Fish and Game Committee the bill would add a $5 rental trail-enhancement fee for snowmobiles to support maintenance and repair of grooming vehicles and trails. "This bill provides trail enhancement rental fee for snowmobiles, providing that the fee must be used for maintenance and repair of vehicles and trails," Usher said, noting rental vendors had agreed to the proposal.
Proponents said the fee targets areas with heavy commercial rental use and returns revenue to local clubs. "We're actually doing...we have 26 clubs and we have 4,000 miles of trails in Montana," Fred Bailey, president of the Montana Snowmobile…
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