It’s the ugly season in Olympia.
Legislators are attempting to write a budget that must close an anticipated $5 billion gap. Expect a lot of oxen to get gored in the process.
First out of the shoot this week were the House Democrats whose budget slashed money for schools and health care, whacked over 1,600 state jobs and tacked on $100 million in new fees. Some programs – or parts of them, at least, were spared. But as one state lobbyist noted in The Olympian, “the bad news is it’s still pretty awful.”
Medina Democrat Ross Hunter, who is head of the House Ways and Means Committee, called the budget “responsible, thoughtful, and sustainable.” By that he means the Democrats left an ending fund balance “just in case those revenues drop again,” Hunter said. That’s wise, given that no one yet knows when state revenues might start climbing again
The budget’s income side raises some questions. House Democrats are counting on about $11 million in fees for services provided by the Department of Agriculture. They’ve also proposed a $30 a year Discover Pass – essentially a pass that you must buy to park a vehicle for day use at parks.
Revenue devices always sound good, but they don’t always end up producing the dollars anticipated. For example, how many people might opt to skip state parks for city and county parks, most of which remain free?
The House budget also says there will money saved by combining some state agencies. Again, we doubt there will be as much saved as legislators think.
One budget item that does make sense is letting private industry take over the warehouse operation that distributes liquor. The Dems say the state should get $300 million in this one-time deal. (The state would keep the retail end of liquor sales.)
Other needed items in the House budget include seeking a 3 percent pay cut for most state workers, continuing to not fund the initiative that would lower class sizes in schools, and at least temporarily skipping step increases for workers, such as teachers, whose pay increases for each year they work (up to a limit).
Not surprisingly, House Republicans say they can do better with Rep. Gary Alexander, the ranking GOP member of the House Ways and Means Committee, grumbling that “programs the state can no longer afford remain on life support, and the footprint of government continues to be larger than our taxpayers and economy can support.”
We suspect he’s right, but Democrats control the House, Senate and governor’s office so this budget largely will their doing, regardless of what Republican opponents want or say.
As Gov. Gregoire noted, “the fact is, there just are not a lot of options,” which means this budget go-round everybody will lose, but some will lose less. in other words – ugly.
– Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter
