"This action undermines the credibility of the trail fund, violates a public trust, and will devastate our ability to adequately and safely maintain the state trail system," wrote Senator Maziarz in a letter to Governor David Paterson. "As a consequence this action will jeopardize the impact snowmobiling will have on the upstate winter economy."

Funds in the Snowmobile Trail Development Management Account derive from registration fees paid by snowmobilers. The revenues are supposed to be used to help maintain a statewide trail system for the benefit of the state’s 236 snowmobile clubs.

"This unwarranted sweep of the trail fund will force a lot of clubs out of business and may even shut the trail system down completely for next year, if something is not done to replenish the fund with the $1 million very soon," Senator Maziarz wrote.

Senator Maziarz and a number of his upstate colleagues are requesting that the decision to raid the snowmobile trail fund be reversed as soon as possible.

In order to prevent this situation from occurring in the future, Senator Maziarz has introduced legislation with Assemblyman Steve Hawley (S.7976/A.10732) that would prohibit the transfer of unexpended moneys from dedicated funds like the snowmobile trail fund into any other fund.

"This is a real problem for upstate communities and snowmobiling enthusiasts," Senator Maziarz said. "It needs a real solution, and if we have to pass a law to stop these fund raids from happening, that’s what we should do. Registration fees were collected for an explicit purpose, and they should be used for that purpose."

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