Gov. Ritter announces across-the-board cuts, warns others may be on the way.
By CHARLES ASHBY
CHIEFTAIN DENVER BUREAU
DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter's budget experts Friday proposed nearly $632 million in program cuts, cash fund transfers and dipping into the state's reserve account to balance this year's budget.
Virtually no part of the state's government was left uncut.
From K-12 education to transportation to public health programs, the governor's budget director, Todd Saliman, said that because of cuts made during the last recession earlier this decade, there's not much with which to play.
"What we focused on were efforts to ensure that we protected life, safety and public health," Saliman said. "The governor's plan on this entire thing was to try to fairly distribute the pain across the entire state government. The challenge here is that the shortfall is so dramatic that it's really going to be difficult to leave any part of state services unscathed." The cuts and fund transfers include about $43.4 million in capital construction projects, including several in Southern Colorado; $10 million, or half of the money the state spends on tourism promotion; $4.9 million from charter school capital construction projects; $45.8 million from all public schools from a reduction in the per pupil increase they received this year and $11.3 million in maintaining the governor's hiring freeze. A big chunk of the budget-balancing plan is coming from three funds designed to compensate workers for injuries. Saliman's office is projecting that taking $111 million out of the funds - major medical, subsequent injury and workers' compensation - won't have any long-term impacts because they will replenish themselves by the 2010-11 fiscal year.
The money his office is proposing to take doesn't deplete them entirely, but leaves enough for them to operate for the rest of this fiscal year, and next, Saliman wrote in his report to the Joint Budget Committee, which came in a 3-inch-thick loose leaf binder.
Saliman projects that the major medical fund, for example, will have rebuilt itself to have about $131 million in it by 2010.
While state lawmakers bemoaned the cuts as necessary, at least two of them questioned whether the state shouldn't rethink everything it does.
Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, and vice chairman of the JBC, said that because of budget constraints the state is facing - the revenue limits under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights and other constitutional provisions that require increased spending - Colorado's annual spending plan never recovers fully each time there is an economic downturn.
As a result, Pommer suggested the Legislature consider revamping everything the state pays for from the ground up.
"I believe we have at least an ongoing billion-dollar deficit, and it seems like we either can cut everything or as much as we can, to the point where we're doing a lousy job on everything, or we can say that Colorado no longer can afford the government that it has," Pommer said.
"This is a rare occasion when I am in agreement with Representative Pommer," added House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker.
"As we're looking at where we're spending our money, we ought to evaluate what it is we can do very well, and what we can't do at all instead of, ‘Let's do everything mediocre, leaving a dollar here and a dollar there.’ ”
Regardless of that conservation, individual lawmakers and special interest groups already have started circling the wagons on their pet programs.
Rep. Al White, R-Hayden and another JBC member, is a longtime proponent of tourism promotion, saying it's an economic stimulus program that's proven to work.
White immediately criticized the governor's plan to cut $10 million out of that $19 million program.
"The governor's talked a lot about doing everything we can to enhance our economy and create jobs," White said. "When I look at our tourism program in the state of Colorado . . . I'm not sure I understand how the governor's consideration of economic enhancement and job creation really fit with this $10 million cut. I know that the governor is considering other programs, (but) this is one that we know works."
Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, who also sits on the six-member JBC, said White has a point, and expects the Legislature will reach a compromise on that part of the cuts.
Still, Tapia said he's girding himself to dealing with others who equally have good reasons not to see their programs get trimmed.
"When you make cuts, there's always fallout," Tapia said. "I know I'm going to get inundated by every special interest group that there is that they're going to be hurt by this. I'll sit and listen, but at the end of the day we've got to balance the budget. We don't have the money."
CUTTING THE BUDGET
DENVER - Here's a breakdown on the governor's proposed budget cuts and cash transfers:
- Reduce executive branch departments and programs, $166.3 million.
- Delay payment to Fire & Police Association pension, $34.8 million.
- Cash fund transfers, $207.1 million.
- Higher Education Maintenance and Reserve Fund transfer, $47.2 million.
- Vendor fee change, $12.8 million.
- Gaming revenue diversion, $11.9 million.
- Other revenue diversions, $10.7 million.
- Dip into Emergency Reserve Fund, $134.1 million.
- Unallocated, but authorized expenditures, $7 million.
TOTAL: $631.9 million
ON CHOPPING BLOCK
DENVER - Here's a list of capital construction projects in Southern Colorado that may get the budget ax:
- Suicide prevention programs at Colorado Mental Health Institutes at Pueblo and in Fort Logan, $3.3 million.
- Colorado State Fair infrastructure improvements, $2.3 million.
- Colorado State Penitentiary II expansion, $2 million.
- Homelake Veterans Nursing Home domicile renovation: $1.3 million.
- Buena Vista Correctional Facility repairs/replacements, $1.3 million.
- Alamosa State Patrol Troop office, $1.2 million.
- Lamar Community College upgrades, $677,467.
- Colorado State University-Pueblo upgrades, $669,689.
- Fort Lyon Correctional Facility wastewater work, $540,486.
- Colorado Women's Correctional Facility lock/door replacements, $466,167.
- Pueblo Community College electrical replacement, $370,000.
By CHARLES ASHBY
CHIEFTAIN DENVER BUREAU
DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter's budget experts Friday proposed nearly $632 million in program cuts, cash fund transfers and dipping into the state's reserve account to balance this year's budget.
Virtually no part of the state's government was left uncut.
From K-12 education to transportation to public health programs, the governor's budget director, Todd Saliman, said that because of cuts made during the last recession earlier this decade, there's not much with which to play.
"What we focused on were efforts to ensure that we protected life, safety and public health," Saliman said. "The governor's plan on this entire thing was to try to fairly distribute the pain across the entire state government. The challenge here is that the shortfall is so dramatic that it's really going to be difficult to leave any part of state services unscathed." The cuts and fund transfers include about $43.4 million in capital construction projects, including several in Southern Colorado; $10 million, or half of the money the state spends on tourism promotion; $4.9 million from charter school capital construction projects; $45.8 million from all public schools from a reduction in the per pupil increase they received this year and $11.3 million in maintaining the governor's hiring freeze. A big chunk of the budget-balancing plan is coming from three funds designed to compensate workers for injuries. Saliman's office is projecting that taking $111 million out of the funds - major medical, subsequent injury and workers' compensation - won't have any long-term impacts because they will replenish themselves by the 2010-11 fiscal year.
The money his office is proposing to take doesn't deplete them entirely, but leaves enough for them to operate for the rest of this fiscal year, and next, Saliman wrote in his report to the Joint Budget Committee, which came in a 3-inch-thick loose leaf binder.
Saliman projects that the major medical fund, for example, will have rebuilt itself to have about $131 million in it by 2010.
While state lawmakers bemoaned the cuts as necessary, at least two of them questioned whether the state shouldn't rethink everything it does.
Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, and vice chairman of the JBC, said that because of budget constraints the state is facing - the revenue limits under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights and other constitutional provisions that require increased spending - Colorado's annual spending plan never recovers fully each time there is an economic downturn.
As a result, Pommer suggested the Legislature consider revamping everything the state pays for from the ground up.
"I believe we have at least an ongoing billion-dollar deficit, and it seems like we either can cut everything or as much as we can, to the point where we're doing a lousy job on everything, or we can say that Colorado no longer can afford the government that it has," Pommer said.
"This is a rare occasion when I am in agreement with Representative Pommer," added House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker.
Actually we agree more than rarely. We even passed a bill together, the Colorado Indoor Clean Air Act, which banned smoking in most restaurants and offices. Before that we carried a bill opening up Colorado's phone system to more competition, but we got clobbered by both of our parties.
"As we're looking at where we're spending our money, we ought to evaluate what it is we can do very well, and what we can't do at all instead of, ‘Let's do everything mediocre, leaving a dollar here and a dollar there.’ ”
Regardless of that conservation, individual lawmakers and special interest groups already have started circling the wagons on their pet programs.
Rep. Al White, R-Hayden and another JBC member, is a longtime proponent of tourism promotion, saying it's an economic stimulus program that's proven to work.
White immediately criticized the governor's plan to cut $10 million out of that $19 million program.
"The governor's talked a lot about doing everything we can to enhance our economy and create jobs," White said. "When I look at our tourism program in the state of Colorado . . . I'm not sure I understand how the governor's consideration of economic enhancement and job creation really fit with this $10 million cut. I know that the governor is considering other programs, (but) this is one that we know works."
Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, who also sits on the six-member JBC, said White has a point, and expects the Legislature will reach a compromise on that part of the cuts.
Still, Tapia said he's girding himself to dealing with others who equally have good reasons not to see their programs get trimmed.
"When you make cuts, there's always fallout," Tapia said. "I know I'm going to get inundated by every special interest group that there is that they're going to be hurt by this. I'll sit and listen, but at the end of the day we've got to balance the budget. We don't have the money."
CUTTING THE BUDGET
DENVER - Here's a breakdown on the governor's proposed budget cuts and cash transfers:
- Reduce executive branch departments and programs, $166.3 million.
- Delay payment to Fire & Police Association pension, $34.8 million.
- Cash fund transfers, $207.1 million.
- Higher Education Maintenance and Reserve Fund transfer, $47.2 million.
- Vendor fee change, $12.8 million.
- Gaming revenue diversion, $11.9 million.
- Other revenue diversions, $10.7 million.
- Dip into Emergency Reserve Fund, $134.1 million.
- Unallocated, but authorized expenditures, $7 million.
TOTAL: $631.9 million
ON CHOPPING BLOCK
DENVER - Here's a list of capital construction projects in Southern Colorado that may get the budget ax:
- Suicide prevention programs at Colorado Mental Health Institutes at Pueblo and in Fort Logan, $3.3 million.
- Colorado State Fair infrastructure improvements, $2.3 million.
- Colorado State Penitentiary II expansion, $2 million.
- Homelake Veterans Nursing Home domicile renovation: $1.3 million.
- Buena Vista Correctional Facility repairs/replacements, $1.3 million.
- Alamosa State Patrol Troop office, $1.2 million.
- Lamar Community College upgrades, $677,467.
- Colorado State University-Pueblo upgrades, $669,689.
- Fort Lyon Correctional Facility wastewater work, $540,486.
- Colorado Women's Correctional Facility lock/door replacements, $466,167.
- Pueblo Community College electrical replacement, $370,000.
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