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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 Association, told the committee. Bailey said a 2013 economic study placed snowmobiling's impact at $100,000,000 and that rising tourism and expanded rental fleets have created concentrated trail wear the current funding does not fully address.
Other proponents described steep equipment and repair costs faced by volunteer groomers. "A new groomer is $250,000," Cliff Walter of Great Falls said, listing parts and repair items that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Connie Walter, vice president of the Montana Snowmobile Association, testified that rough, high-traffic trails create safety hazards and that more frequent grooming could reduce risks: "We've had deaths because of that." Proponents urged distributing fees back to the clubs that groom in heavily used areas.
FWP staff provided informational context about program administration. Beth Shumate, acting administrator for Parks and Outdoor Recreation at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, said FWP currently collects winter trail pass revenue and would collect and distribute the new $5 rental fee "out through the grant program." Shumate said the rental fee would be paid directly to FWP by the person renting the snowmobile and then allocated via the existing snowmobile grant program.
Committee members asked about scope, enforcement and resident obligations. Senator Flowers and others clarified that the bill's reference to "motorized equipment" covers snow bikes and other winter motorized devices in addition to snowmobiles; Fred Bailey said the $5 supplement could support winter operations broadly. On enforcement, Ms. Shumate said statutory fines for lacking a trail pass generally start at $40. Senator Jasmine Krotkov (online) had asked specifically that $1.50 of the fee be used for enforcement to protect non-motorized users; Senator Usher responded that enforcement provisions are existing law and the bill would not create additional law-enforcement authority.
The committee closed the hearing on SB 165 without taking a vote at that time. The bill will await further committee scheduling decisions.
