State Parks Fee Might Change From 'Opt In' To 'Opt Out'

A proposal that might end up in front of the state legislature in bill form is targeted at suckers like Seattlest, well-intentioned but busy people who would help if helping was made stupidly easy. The proposal would automatically tack on $5 to every Washington car tab fee, and that extra money would go towards keeping state parks open and maintained. Anyone could opt out of paying the extra fee. The option to give $5 for park maintenance is already in effect, but with a slight difference: you have to check a box saying you do want to give the state more of your hard-earned cash.

We're all for the idea. Five bucks towards keeping gorgeous parks like Fort Casey on Whidbey Island or St. Edwards in Kenmore isn't any skin off our back, especially if we don't really have to think about it. For anti-anxiety reasons, we'd appreciate a blurb on the tab fee form that reminds us where our money is going and why--but apart from that, changing the fee from opt-in to opt-out seems like a useful and low-stress way to send a few more dollars towards a worthy cause. Washington's beautiful state parks are already operating at the lowest level of maintenance they can without shutting down, and it's truly tragic to think of what would happen to those areas if the state stops taking care of them.