SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Beginning July 1, boat owners in Tennessee will be facing a 22% registration fee increase.

This decision was made last week at the meeting of the Joint Government Operations Committee.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Director of Public Relations Emily Buck said the increase is because of a $15 million deficit due to inflation.

“TWRA is actually primarily funded by the sales of hunting and fishing licenses and boat registrations,” Buck said. “Since our last license fee increase in 2015, it’s been about a 30% increase in inflation.”

A separate proposal to increase fees for hunting and fishing licenses to $42 was withdrawn by TWRA.

“A lot of those lawmakers expressed the same concern that our constituents have and that we have, which is that it’s a pretty significant fee increase,” Buck said. “With that being said, we heard a significant number of verbal commitments to find alternative funding.”

Buck said the agency is having to make cuts to save money. One way is by leaving more than 20 law enforcement positions vacant.

“The reason we hold those law enforcement officer positions vacant is because they can only be paid with state funds,” Buck said. “In addition to our license fees, we also pull down a pretty significant federal grant match. It’s a reimbursement process, so we have to spend the dollar to be reimbursed for it.

“A lot of our other staff positions, like wildlife managers, outreach and education, those qualify for federal match, while law enforcement does not. So, when it comes to just a sheer business proposal, those law enforcement officers make the most sense to hold vacant financially.”

“We’re not firing anybody. We’re not looking at layoff rates. But as folks retire, we are evaluating those positions to say, are they needed, or could they be better used in other places?”

Buck said TWRA will be working with the Tennessee General Assembly to decide on other sources of funding.

“One thing that we always do when we’re looking at policy or implementing a change with the agency, we always look at how our friends in other states are doing it,” Buck said. “Of course, every state across the country has a fish and wildlife agency. What’s interesting, though, is that they’re all funded slightly different.”

Buck said some states fund their fish and wildlife agencies by a percentage of state sales taxes, while others rely on lottery and gasoline taxes.

Buck said there is no talk of a new tax to provide funding, but just a redirection of an existing tax to TWRA.

“The reality is, if additional funding is not found, we will be right back to square one of either looking at a license fee increase or significant cuts in service,” Buck said.