WATERLOO -- Iowa taxpayers aren't the only ones getting a refund from the government this summer.

Almost $2 million is expected to be deposited this week into the bank accounts of the state's off-road vehicle and snowmobile associations. The Legislature agreed to return funds it took from the groups in 2002 to help balance the state's budget.

According to state officials, the Iowa State Snowmobile Association will receive $950,000 and the Iowa Off-Highway Vehicle Association will get $775,000.

The leaders of both organizations say the refunds are much appreciated and long overdue. The groups have struggled financially to create and maintain recreational riding areas since the money disappeared, officials said.

This is especially true for the state's eight OHV parks, geared toward all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles. Five were hit hard by recent flooding and excessive rains and remain closed -- including Riverview in Waterloo and the Tama County OHV Park.

Dan Kleen, executive director of the Iowa OHV Association, said the infusion of funds are just in time to help repair washed-out trails, signs and other damage. At Riverview, for example, huge craters exist and tons of debris needs to be removed for safety reasons.

"There's a foot of sand in the parking lot, the kids' trail was wiped out and some other trails washed out. We have a lot of clean up," Kleen said. "It's not going to be hard to spend."

The Trailblazers Off Road Club of Independence maintains the 180-acre park. President Shawn Hoaglan said the damage is so bad he's not sure if it will be re-opened this year.

He says it will cost at least $50,000 to make Riverview's OHV trails usable again, and the recovered funds will help make that possible.

"This is a huge deal on many levels," Hoaglan said.

Some of the OHV money will also be used to obtain matching grants from the federal and state governments to develop new parks and improve existing facilities, he said.

Six years ago, the legislature searched for ways to fill a $9 million shortfall in Medicaid funding. Former Gov. Tom Vilsack provided a list of unencumbered funds, and snowmobile and ATV money was on it.

As a result, the bank accounts used to fund each sport were almost picked clean. What irked off-road enthusiasts, the money was generated by self-imposed registration fees and not from taxpayers.

The money was considered dedicated funds, administered by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, solely for the use of operating the motor sports programs in the state. With the exception of occasional grants, no taxpayer money is used.

"It really set the program back," Kleen said, indicating two years of registration fees had accumulated. "It's like losing a paycheck for two years,"

Merv Hoermann, president of the ISSA, said snowmobilers statewide -- like ATV riders -- have lobbied legislators for six years to return the funds.

As turnover continued at the capital and the economy picked up, he said they finally found enough backers.

Rep. Helen Miller of Fort Dodge championed the amendment to return the funds, which was tacked on to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and DNR appropriations bill. It was approved just before the Legislature adjourned.

Miller said she was able to locate money earmarked for underground storage tanks that wasn't being used, which could be used to repay ATV and snowmobile riders.

"The money was in trust for them. When the state took it away, it was important to get the money back," Miller said.

Hoermann said snowmobilers never gave up the quest to reclaim the money. Until this year, he said lawmakers would say not to count on it.

"I never thought I would live long enough to see it," Hoermann said. "Every year we were told our chances were slim to none. If you never give up and believe in something, good things will come about."

The money will help jump start snowmobiling, he said, much like the federal government's stimulus checks are meant to help the economy.

Plans are already in the works to spend it. The association wants to upgrade a quarter of the state's 40 to 45 groomers, operated by individual clubs. Some were built in the 1970s and early '80s and are too expensive to continually repair, Hoermann said.

After the money was "stolen," as Hoermann describes it, groomer replacement was severely limited. The machines make snowmobile trails smooth.

The snowmobile association wants to buy new medium-sized tracked tractors with pull-behind groomers and drags at an estimated cost of about $120,000 each.

The first two will be ordered within the next 30 days, Hoermann said. The additional funds will also be used to pay for increased fuel costs to operate groomers and trail development, he said.

"Wow, I can't believe we're getting the money back," Hoermann said. "Everybody is pretty excited about it."

Both organizations have since taken steps to insure the Legislature can't take large sums of money again. Both switched to a smaller yearly registration fees instead of collecting more money every two years. The groups also spend money as it comes in.

"We don't want to go through this again," Hoermann said.

Contact Matthew Wilde

at (319) 291-1579 or

matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.