Pennsylvania Game News - February 2016 - 44

due to lower fuel prices. Royalty payments depend on production and market rates.
Production will decrease when the market rate goes down and production will
increase when the market rates increases. Revenue from sale of timber and other
wood products decreased $1,090,637 or -15.47% due to harsh winter weather and
extended spring thaw conditions that kept timber operators out of the woods and
prevented them from harvesting timber. Total acres harvested dropped by 1,073
during the fiscal year 2014-15 compared to the prior year. Sale of coal, grain and
hay, stone, sand, gravel and limestone decreased $699,183 or -46.79% primarily
due to poor coal market conditions that led to the shutting down of two deep mines.
Fiscal year 2014-15 federal aid reimbursements increased $5,095,077 or 25.19%
due to an increase in Pittman-Robertson Act Grant funds that were generated by
an increase in firearms and ammunition sales.
Expenditures and commitments for the fiscal year July 1, 2014, through June
30, 2015, as of October 31, 2015, totaled $105,034,939 an increase of $137,382
or 0.13%. While this is only a slight variance in total expenditures, there are a few
significant variances to note. Maintenance, rental and improvements of building,
grounds and machinery decreased $5,292,282 or 74.18%, mainly due to two new
construction projects that were funded during fiscal year 2013-14 for Pymatuning
Educational Center and the new Northeast Regional Office. Purchases of motor
vehicles decreased $1,516,976 or 52.49%. In an effort to offset the escalation of
contractual obligations such as salaries and benefit increases, the vehicle replacement program to replace old, non-repairable, high-mileage vehicles, both on and off
road, was reduced to half. Salary, benefits and training costs totaled $69,980,112,
an increase of $5,137,231 or 7.92%. Disease Management Areas expanded to take
care of the spread of CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease), which resulted in additional
testing of hunter-harvested deer, as well as new and expanded contracts for roadkilled deer pick-up. Training costs increased due to a new Wildlife Conservation
Officer class consisting of 33 cadets.
Act 138 of 2002 amended the Game Code sections relating to mandatory spending. The Game Code stipulates that a minimum of $4.25 from each resident and
nonresident license, and a minimum of $2 from each antlerless deer license issued
for which the full fee has been paid, is to be used for habitat improvement, development, maintenance, protection and restoration conducive to increasing natural
propagation of game and wildlife on all lands under the control or operations of
the Commission, including lands enrolled in the Commission's Hunter Access
program and other public lands open to hunting under agreement with the Commission. The monies collected for the above are deposited into a separate account.
The number of resident and nonresident licenses sold during the fiscal year
2014-15, as reported by the Game Commission, totaled 807,844. Antlerless deer
licenses sold during the fiscal year 2014-15, as reported by the Game Commission, totaled 779,997. This mandated that a minimum of $4,993,331 be expended
for the above-mentioned purposes. The actual amount expended and committed
in the restricted account during the fiscal year for these purposes was $7,500,000,
an excess of $2,506,669 over the requirement.
-Prepared by the Office of Comptroller Operations, Bureau of Accounting and Financial Management

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - February 2016