Voters to decide if Texas should have a dedicated fund to expand state parks
By Ali Linan CNHI Texas statehouse reporter
October 25, 2023
Originally published by Athens Daily Review
Courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife
AUSTIN – Texas parks are slated to receive a $1 billion boost if voters approve a measure this November.
Proposition 14 is one of 14 statewide issues Texas voters will see on their ballot on Nov. 7. If approved, it will allow $1 billion in surplus funding to be dedicated to a Parks Fund for the acquisition and development of new parks across the state. As a constitutional amendment, it would provide stable, long-term funding for new park land purchases from willing sellers and the development of new parks at no additional cost to Texas taxpayers.
“We’ve fallen so far behind in adding new parks to the system,” said Joseph Fitzsimons, co-founder of the Texas Coalition for State Parks.
Texas is home to 88 state parks, but Fitzsimons said that is not nearly enough to accommodate the rapid population growth of the state, particularly as Texas parks receive more than 10 million visitors a year…
