Payson Roundup

Andy Towle/Roundup - atowle@payson.com

Forest Service campgrounds were starting to fill up for the holiday weekend on Wednesday.

After the Legislature approved the state budget early Wednesday morning, 30 state parks facing closure, including Tonto Natural Bridge reopened for the busy holiday weekend.

The parks, along with more than 100 state agencies, had faced closure midnight Tuesday if the budget had not passed. However, Wednesday morning, the Arizona Department of Administration’s Web site instructed all employees to report to work as usual.

Crews at Arizona Department of Game and Fish will release 5,000 fish into Rim Country streams and lakes as planned just in time for the Fourth of July weekend.

Game and Fish gets most of its money from the federal government and hunting and gaming fees and virtually none from the state’s general fund, so operations would not have been affected.

“We can withstand the grievous nature of the budget process,” said Rory Aikens, Game and Fish spokesperson.

After receiving the budget, the governor’s office on Wednesday afternoon vetoed portions of the budget to restore funding to vital services and public safety. She also called a special session on Monday to adjust the budget and possibly add a temporary tax.

Park and state employees must now wait and see what comes of the budget. If the legislature had failed to complete the budget by Wednesday, the state would have shut down, with 130 state agencies closed, including 41,000 state employees forced to stay home. Arizona State Parks Executive Director Renee Bahl said the budget is now in the hands of the governor’s office.

“Bottom line is we are reopened and excited to see everyone out there this weekend,” she said.

On Tuesday, campers were forced to leave 13 state park campgrounds before midnight in preparation for the possible shut down. Bahl said most campgrounds were already a third full with campers celebrating the holiday weekend.

“People did leave the campgrounds, but we had been alerting people that this could happen, so everyone had left by 10 p.m.,” she said.

The bridge, a huge draw for tourists to the Rim Country, brought in more than 90,000 people last year and more than $26 million, according to a study by researchers from Northern Arizona University.

“During this difficult economic time it is critical that we continue to offer park opportunities for our residents and visitors,” Bahl said. “These rural communities rely on tourism to keep their restaurants, gas and retail businesses vibrant. Since the 30 state parks generate $266 million in economic impact for the rural communities, the parks now are one of the last big revenue generators for outlying businesses who then contribute to the state budget.”

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