North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund

rdf:langString North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund

rdf:langString The North Carolina General Assembly established the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) in 1994 to fund improvements in the state's park system, fund grants for local governments and increase public access to state beaches. The Parks and Recreation Authority, a fifteen-member appointed board, was also created to allocate funds from PARTF to the state parks and to the grants program for local governments. The fund was created by North Carolina General Assembly Senate Bill 733. The impetus for the bill was a 1988 legislative study which determined that state parks were underfunded. A bond issue quickly ensued, raising $35 million to purchase land and build visitor centers in the state park system. The legislature seized upon the momentum and widespread support from the business and tourism sectors to get the bill passed. The Parks and Recreation Authority, who administers the funds, has a dedicated revenue stream from an annual 75% share of the N.C. real estate transfer tax. 65% of the money must be allocated to acquire land, complete capital projects, or make repairs to the state park system, 30% must be used to provide local government agencies with dollar-for-dollar grants to be used in the same fashion, 5% is for the Public Beach and Coastal Waterfront Access Program and up to 3% can be used by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for grant administration purposes.