Mark your calendar now for November 7, 2023 to vote for more parks! The 100th Anniversary of State Parks will present an historic opportunity for the voters of Texas to make sure state parks are available for visitors for another century. For the first time in more than fifty years our state legislature has moved to establish a significant acquisition and development program for NEW state parks! However, this will only become a reality upon the passage of a constitutional amendment in a statewide vote in November of this year. If approved by voters, a $1 Billion Centennial Park Fund will be used solely for the acquisition and development of state parks will be established. The measure (SJR74) received bi-partisan support in the legislature, and a coalition of conservation and recreation groups (including Texans for State Parks) will be working hard to educate the public on this great opportunity to build our park system to meet the needs of another 100 years!
The Centennial Parks Conservation Fund will be funded using $1 Billion of the state’s current surplus funds allocated in this year’s legislative session, so there will be no impact to future state budgets and the fund will help meet the needs of our growing state by providing on-going source for parkland purchases and development. Coupled with the dedication of sporting goods sales taxes for the operation and maintenance of parks, this action is projected to allow the development of a new park every two years. With the continued growth of our state, these new parks will be critical to meeting future outdoor recreation needs of Texas.
Turnout for constitutional amendment elections is typically low, so it will be important for all those that care about the outdoors to share the word and build a second century of state parks! Remember, you can show your support for more state parks on November 7, 2023!