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Action needed soon to lessen passport effect on the river
By Cindy Perry / cindyperry@alpineavalanche.com
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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and the Brewster County Sheriff's Office is near-overflowing (above) with presents for families in need, thanks to generous donors who participated in the Brown Santa project.
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Brewster County and tourism officials agree they must act now to mitigate the impact that pending passport rules will have on tourism, related revenue and good old West Texas hospitality.
Rio Grande raft/canoe tours would be affected the most, all agreed at Monday's Commissioners Court meeting, because the proposed rules would require adult travelers to present proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate) and proof of identity (such as a driver's license) when entering the United States.
The U.S. government rules, set to take effect Jan. 31, are interpreted to mean that folks rafting or canoeing the Rio Grande would have to present extra ID before they could set foot back on Texas land.
And that, said the tourism officials, could create problems for visitors who may not be aware of the new law.
Ron Sanders, of Forever Resorts and Chisos Lodge in Big Bend National Park, cited an example: What if a visitor from Dallas comes here "and wants to take a river trip and doesn't have his passport, we'd have to turn him down; [then] this would have an effect with motel, restaurant" and other tourism-related businesses - not to mention creating a modicum of ill will toward Brewster County.
Those who spoke Monday wondered how it would affect commercial boaters, charter boat operators, offshore gambling cruises and fishermen.
"If I have to go halfway across the river [Rio Grande], I'd need a passport," said Mike Davidson, director of the Big Bend Tourism Council.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Kathy Killingsworth said, "If you look at Amistad Lake ... I don't see how it's enforceable," since the lake is part of both the U.S. and Mexico.
Davidson added, "I've talked to the [National] Park Service, and they're concerned."
Tourism and county officials agreed that harsh passport and travel laws could, in one person's words, "cripple the county financially."
County Judge Val Beard urged commissioners to move "full speed ahead and do what is necessary" to resolve the situation, whether that means lobbying U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-Dist. 23, our U.S. senators and/or pressuring other federal officials. The Commissioners Court agreed with Beard.
Another pressing matter drew commissioners' attention, this one involving education in South County.
Killingsworth gave a report on Terlingua CSD and San Vicente ISD, noting the amount of money and school district values that have been lost since Big Bend National Park was established in the 1940s. Both districts should be eligible for federal Impact Aid Program funding, which would total $165,189 for Terlingua CSD and $192,702 for San Vicente, her report showed.
But current U.S. Department of Education rules state both districts can't have the money because the land transferred decades ago from private hands to state control to the federal government - in other words, Big Bend National Park - has no value.
That assessment was made despite figures showing that 118,645 eligible acres in Terlingua CSD have a taxable value of $13.88 million and 203,016 acres in San Vicente ISD have a taxable value of $17.05 million. Killingsworth's report also showed that since Big Bend National Park was established (Texas deeded the land to the U.S. in 1943), the loss of school district values has been 42 percent for Terlingua and 60 percent for the San Vicente district.
Killingsworth said Rodriguez has been contacted to work on special federal legislation to rectify the situation, and the Commissioners Court voted to support the Terlingua district's application for impact aid.
In other action, the commissioners:
€ Approved the purchase of three new voting machines
€ Approved the county budget closeout and funds transfers
€ Boosted liability and casualty coverage for vehicles and drivers
€ Delayed action on bids for heavy equipment and pickup trucks
€ Delayed action on personnel performances
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