Spring has arrived and very soon now the Snowmobile Recreation Council will be making recommendations to the DNR on which projects should be funded, following a review of the submitted paperwork for grants and requests for reimbursements from the available funding. One of the first steps will be to determine “…how much money is available?...” CAP/STEP has passed but increased funds will not be available right away, since the effective date for CAP/STEP is July 1, 2015. So once again it will be déjà vu when that question is asked. And, it will also be déjà vu at this time next year for the same reason. Now let’s move ahead two years, to the spring of 2016. Hopefully some of the results of CAP/STEP (more funding) might then be available…BUT, with the first year fiscal impact under CAP/STEP still not known, and no track record yet of its results (no history), don’t expect ANYTHING new at that time. But, oh yes, there will be SOMETHING that has changed: the snowmobile program looses a whopping one/third of what would have been available if CAP/STEP hadn’t passed due to the registration period of two years being changed to three years with no increase in the $30 registration cost. While reading this and what follows, keep in mind that a simple registration increase could have been passed and already in effect if the focus had not been on waiting for CAP/STEP to wave its magic wand. Another thought to ponder: What if a reasonable registration increase of—let’s say $5/year starting in about 2006 which would be five years after the last increase, and then another $5/year increase in about 2011, five years after that. Given about 200,000 snowmobile registrations, this means the program could have gained about a million dollars more each year from 2006-2011, and then an additional million or so for the last three years (for a gain of about $2M for each of the last three years). This amounts to about eleven million dollars that the program has lost out on due to the big CAP/STEP push while totally ignoring what could have/should have happened just to keep up with increased costs being felt by the clubs as they install, maintain, and remove trails. So it’s déjà vu for two more springs that the SRC and clubs must face, and then it’s uncertain and unpredictable what CAP/STEP will do, other than a guaranteed loss starting two years from now due to a drop in the registration fee. Our basic registration system was so simple, reliable, predictable, consistent, and stable starting in about 1971, now that’s gone and changed forever (well maybe only for four years) thanks to CAP/STEP. Then on top of all of this sorry information is the fact that CAP/STEP introduces an annual trail pass requirement that has two different fee structures based on your membership in two private snowmobile organizations (do you really think law enforcement is going to enforce this?) and it is still completely and absolutely unknown how it’s going to work. We keep hearing that the details are being worked on but are not yet figured out. And this is how you get increased funding into our program??? Get the law passed, worry about the details later??? OK, you’re saying let’s give it a chance, nothing better was out there—which is a flat out lie. Wisconsin has missed the boat on this one, and the clubs are the victims. More than ever before we now need to support our clubs and start making some very continuous and generous donations to the clubs and to all of the groomer jugs out there because there is no new money coming to the clubs for at least two more years, and then a very much unknown impact to the program after that except for the drop in registration fee income. Don’t hit me too hard because of this post; remember I am moving on the same as all of us must now do, but some things just needed to be said, and the bottom line is the clubs now need our support more than ever because of CAP/STEP.
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CAP/STEP - Let the Nightmare Begin
- Thread starter zozo2
- Start date
I won't beat you up on this one, I agree. A simple increase in the registration fee was all that was needed. Now we have to put another damn sticker on our sleds because of this law. So what if club membership is increased, if the new members don't want to be involved they won't. And the rest of us will still do the work. The added income from the new members could have been passed on to the clubs from the increased fees. Maybe we will get lucky and some new members will pitch in and help, but that remains to be seen. My feeling is if they didn't want to help before they won't now. To me it's just more big brother telling us all how to go about our business. Now someone can beat me up on this, lol.
would a could a should a over now. in a few yrs it will be clear how much money the clubs can count on yr after yr and can plan accordingly.until then all u can do is plan off last yrs budget and hope for the best.
and some guys just need a push to do something and one they get pushed and told what to do they do it with pride . if your club gets just 2 guys to join and help out it is a win .if they get a bud to join win again.
and some guys just need a push to do something and one they get pushed and told what to do they do it with pride . if your club gets just 2 guys to join and help out it is a win .if they get a bud to join win again.
The Madison direct option for a WI trail permit will still be available for those that do not join clubs. I think the Madison direct option for a WI trail permit will be priced about the same since not paying Club dues thru Madison just buying a permit. If the clubs can handle permit sales no biggy to me to go thru a club & join up. If the clubs fumble the ball peeps will go thru Madison so clubs need to get their ****e together for sure or setting sun kicks in & end of Cap/Step. Clubs have lots to learn & some of then can't handle it from what I have seen so only the strong will survive.
snobuilder
Well-known member
well said zozo2.
I said K.I.S.S. all along but the AWSC bullies won't listen because it means more money in there cauffers.
so lets say C/S is a huge success and many take advantage of the discounted trail pass by joining a AWSC affiliated club. The AWSC gets there cut right off the top which of the $25.00 club membership fee is $10.00 I believe. How will that $10.00 work better for our trail system in the hands of the AWSC rather than a person who does not join and sends the FULL $30.00 per year PER SLED into the segregated snow trail fund?
REMEMBER....ONE CLUB MEMBERSHIP GIVES YOU COUNTLESS DISCOUNTED PERMITS...and most sledders have multiple sleds.= more LOST revenue
I think you will be a better steward of the trails if you don't join the AWSC and pay the full permit fee PER SLED.
Give me the choice of more money or more non active members to keep track of and I will take the extra revenue every time for my club.
I said K.I.S.S. all along but the AWSC bullies won't listen because it means more money in there cauffers.
so lets say C/S is a huge success and many take advantage of the discounted trail pass by joining a AWSC affiliated club. The AWSC gets there cut right off the top which of the $25.00 club membership fee is $10.00 I believe. How will that $10.00 work better for our trail system in the hands of the AWSC rather than a person who does not join and sends the FULL $30.00 per year PER SLED into the segregated snow trail fund?
REMEMBER....ONE CLUB MEMBERSHIP GIVES YOU COUNTLESS DISCOUNTED PERMITS...and most sledders have multiple sleds.= more LOST revenue
I think you will be a better steward of the trails if you don't join the AWSC and pay the full permit fee PER SLED.
Give me the choice of more money or more non active members to keep track of and I will take the extra revenue every time for my club.
Everyone has a different way of looking at things, and everyone has a different opinion. Some people are a "glass half empty" kind of person, some are a "glass half full" kind of person. My glass is "half full".
While I don't necessarily agree with everything in the CAP/STEP program, I am not going to sit here and complain about it from the comfort of my desk chair. There are things that maybe could have been done differently, but this is what we have now and it is up to us to make it work. If we don't make it work, 6 years from now we will be back to where we are now. I don't want that to happen. If this program gets us some new members, great. If this program has people just pay the extra for their permits, great. Either way it is a good thing. The snowmobile program will recieve some much needed extra money, clubs may gain some new members, heck some may even want to help, and everyone will continue to have trails to ride on. In the end I think that is the main goal here, to keep and improve the trails we have.
While I don't necessarily agree with everything in the CAP/STEP program, I am not going to sit here and complain about it from the comfort of my desk chair. There are things that maybe could have been done differently, but this is what we have now and it is up to us to make it work. If we don't make it work, 6 years from now we will be back to where we are now. I don't want that to happen. If this program gets us some new members, great. If this program has people just pay the extra for their permits, great. Either way it is a good thing. The snowmobile program will recieve some much needed extra money, clubs may gain some new members, heck some may even want to help, and everyone will continue to have trails to ride on. In the end I think that is the main goal here, to keep and improve the trails we have.
Someone mentioned $25 to join a club. That is what our club charges for a family membership. Other clubs in our county which do not own grooming equipment charge $15 for a membership. That won't work so we all agree to sell them for $20 lets say. We start loosing $5 for each membership. Still that is only $470 we lose. At 94 family memberships our total take at $10 each is only $940. That doesn't buy much fuel. The real question is how much more we will get paid a mile for grooming. Memberships isn't where the money is!! Our club was not a fan of the new program however now we are in a wait and see mode.
snobuilder
Well-known member
It is what it is.
Last edited:
D
Deleted member 10829
Guest
Everyone has a different way of looking at things, and everyone has a different opinion. Some people are a "glass half empty" kind of person, some are a "glass half full" kind of person. My glass is "half full".
While I don't necessarily agree with everything in the CAP/STEP program, I am not going to sit here and complain about it from the comfort of my desk chair. There are things that maybe could have been done differently, but this is what we have now and it is up to us to make it work. If we don't make it work, 6 years from now we will be back to where we are now. I don't want that to happen. If this program gets us some new members, great. If this program has people just pay the extra for their permits, great. Either way it is a good thing. The snowmobile program will recieve some much needed extra money, clubs may gain some new members, heck some may even want to help, and everyone will continue to have trails to ride on. In the end I think that is the main goal here, to keep and improve the trails we have.
Your post made perfect sense to me, but I'm just "casual" I guess! LOL