Pa Game Commission
- Thread starter 88man
- Start date
JdGoodhart
Member
As a PA resident and hunter, I am not surprised at all. It will be interesting to see where they decide to go from here regarding all that cash. I know a lot of people complain when they increase license which I usually don't mind because of PR. However, with them sitting on 72mil... I might have a problem if they try to raise them now.
stealthy_bowman
Well-known member
Wow, would be nice to see some good additions to the PA state game lands inventory with all that cash...
That is exactly what I said on a bunch of FB posts
JdGoodhart
Member
Or at least restone and drag the roads... feel like im driving on a rumble strip on most of them.
How I see the audit beyond the headlines:
Overall it was a positive finding for the PA Game Commission. No gross misappropriations of funds, no theft, no missing money. In fact, as result it seems they found money that was not being utilized and are implementing a pile of changes in their accounting department to even further increase revenue.
The agency has a massive bank account, the Game Fund, where all funding comes and goes from. Over the last decade oil and gas royalties have ebbed and flowed which is the biggest variable in the fund at the moment. These royalties over the last 3 or 4 years have taken off again and bounced the Game Fund up from about $50 million to up around $80 million in 2018. The PGC annual budget is set by the governors office at about $110 million per year. So over the audit period, 2014-2017, well over $300 million came and went from the Game Fund never leaving less than the $50 million and growing to $72.8 million by the end of the audit period. The agency doesn't receive tax dollars from the general fund and it is fully self sufficient relying upon having a surplus of money to draw upon in the years where a deficit in the budget. It is necessary to maintain a fund with excess money from the "boom" years to cover the "bust" years as it pertains to natural gas industry income. It would only take a few lean years to completely drain all of that "extra" money.
The biggest concern or gripe I have heard is over the PGC continually requesting license costs increases, as the last increase was over 20 years ago. All the while the agency had a big ole' bank account that they were keeping quiet about. I certainly understand this sentiment; That the public was deceived into believing the agency was in dire financial straits and NEEDED a license increase immediately because in the last 5 years they have closed two game farms, laid off over a dozen employees, and not filled nearly 50 positions in an agency of only 700 +/- people. The only explanation I have heard for this is that the oil and gas company incomes were not factored into the agency's long term financial planning, as it is not a steady stream of income. Current funding sources without the oil and gas money, coupled with the nationwide trend of declining hunting license sales, would send the agency into the red.
Title 34 PA.C.S Section 705
"§ 705. Price paid for acquisitions and improvements.
(a) Game lands.--The commission may pay for lands to be used as game lands what it considers a fair and reasonable price not to exceed $400 per acre exclusive of Federal and other cost-sharing funds and consistent with the market value of land in the locality in which the game land is located."
The PGC is legally required to pay less than $400 per acre for state game lands. This is the reason why a large majority of SGL tract acquisitions are donated by private individuals or land is purchased by oil and gas, timber, or power companies in exchange for work to be done on state land. In most places in PA you aren't finding acreage for $400/acre any more......
Overall it was a positive finding for the PA Game Commission. No gross misappropriations of funds, no theft, no missing money. In fact, as result it seems they found money that was not being utilized and are implementing a pile of changes in their accounting department to even further increase revenue.
The agency has a massive bank account, the Game Fund, where all funding comes and goes from. Over the last decade oil and gas royalties have ebbed and flowed which is the biggest variable in the fund at the moment. These royalties over the last 3 or 4 years have taken off again and bounced the Game Fund up from about $50 million to up around $80 million in 2018. The PGC annual budget is set by the governors office at about $110 million per year. So over the audit period, 2014-2017, well over $300 million came and went from the Game Fund never leaving less than the $50 million and growing to $72.8 million by the end of the audit period. The agency doesn't receive tax dollars from the general fund and it is fully self sufficient relying upon having a surplus of money to draw upon in the years where a deficit in the budget. It is necessary to maintain a fund with excess money from the "boom" years to cover the "bust" years as it pertains to natural gas industry income. It would only take a few lean years to completely drain all of that "extra" money.
The biggest concern or gripe I have heard is over the PGC continually requesting license costs increases, as the last increase was over 20 years ago. All the while the agency had a big ole' bank account that they were keeping quiet about. I certainly understand this sentiment; That the public was deceived into believing the agency was in dire financial straits and NEEDED a license increase immediately because in the last 5 years they have closed two game farms, laid off over a dozen employees, and not filled nearly 50 positions in an agency of only 700 +/- people. The only explanation I have heard for this is that the oil and gas company incomes were not factored into the agency's long term financial planning, as it is not a steady stream of income. Current funding sources without the oil and gas money, coupled with the nationwide trend of declining hunting license sales, would send the agency into the red.
One of the biggest problems with this lies right here:
Title 34 PA.C.S Section 705
"§ 705. Price paid for acquisitions and improvements.
(a) Game lands.--The commission may pay for lands to be used as game lands what it considers a fair and reasonable price not to exceed $400 per acre exclusive of Federal and other cost-sharing funds and consistent with the market value of land in the locality in which the game land is located."
The PGC is legally required to pay less than $400 per acre for state game lands. This is the reason why a large majority of SGL tract acquisitions are donated by private individuals or land is purchased by oil and gas, timber, or power companies in exchange for work to be done on state land. In most places in PA you aren't finding acreage for $400/acre any more......
Last edited:
pointingdogsrule
Well-known member
OK, so I have NOT lived in PA. since 1981. When I did live there I was aware of (what I would say) plentiful state games lands. I lived in the Wyoming county/Sullivan county area and there are state lands all over. Would buying more mountains improve on the current lands? Just wondering what "lands" you current residents would like to be purchased? Thanks for your thoughts. By the way, come to Iowa where ONLY 1% of the total land is owned by the state
good luck to all
the dog
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