The South Dakota parks division wants to raise park entrance fees by $1-$3 to help cover the cost of maintaining roads and parking lots in state parks and recreation areas.

The increase will be proposed to the Game, Fish & Parks Commission at its meeting Thursday and Friday in Mitchell. Support by the commission would be followed by a November public hearing on the increase and then a commission vote. If adopted, the higher fees would take effect Jan. 1.

The GF&P raised fees last year for camping spots and cabins or lodges within the state parks, including Custer State Park. No change is proposed in those fees.

"The majority (of the entrance fees) haven't been adjusted for quite some time, and so it's really important to keep pace with the consumer price index and our cost of operation," said Doug Hofer, director of parks within the state Department of Game, Fish & Parks.

The department proposes raising the annual park entrance sticker for one vehicle from the current $23 to $26. The fee for a second sticker for another vehicle would go from $11.50 to $13.

The seven-day vehicle entrance permit at Custer State Park also would increase by $3, from $12 to $15.

Increases in other entrance fees would be $1.

"It's our belief that the increase we're going to propose will have a minimal impact on the park visitor, and based on our past experience, I don't think it will negatively affect our visitation," Hofer said.

He said two factors are limiting GF&P's ability to properly maintain 350 miles of roads and parking lots under its domain in 65 parks and recreation areas:

- Higher petroleum prices have driven up the cost of asphalt and the cost of new construction or sealing existing roads as part of regular maintenance.

- There's been a substantial reduction in money from the state highway fund, from $2 million to about $500,000 annually.

The higher fees would raise about $725,000.

"This will allow us to continue to address the most critical needs and this is our top priority initiative right now with the fiscal year 2010 budget," Hofer said. "We're just trying to be proactive to take care of the park infrastructure."

The parks division has budgeted $1.8 million for road needs in the budget year that began July 1. The GF&P also receives federal money for road work, in part because it has taken over many Missouri River sites that previously were managed by the federal government.

The general park entrance fee was raised from $20 to $23 in 2006. Entrance fees to Custer State Park - $5 for a seven-day individual permit and $12 for a seven-day vehicle permit - have not changed this decade.

Adjustments tied to the consumer price index would put those fees this year at $24.90 for the park entrance license, $6.22 for the Custer State Park seven-day individual permit, and $14.94 for the Custer seven-day vehicle permit, the GF&P said.

Last year, the state sold 209,159 seven-day individual permits for Custer State Park, 63,696 annual