Well, Wisconsin Public Radio's Shawn Johnson answered my question yesterday by saying that there shouldn't be a need for a budget repair bill for these next 6 qweeks, as expenses should be able to come in just low enough to balance.
[LFB Director Bob] Lang said the Walker administration saved about $98 million by reducing the amount it set aside for state employee compensation. Also, Lang said the Potawatomi paid the state $50 million as part of its gaming compact. That happened after Gov. Scott Walker rejected a proposed Kenosha casino project.So this administration doesn't give state employees anything past a meager 1% raise (so much for Act 10 being a one-time hit), cave in to the fundies and the Potawatomi by not building the Kenosha casino (and cost the area thousands of jobs), and kick $118 million in debt down the road. And then after that, MAYBE they'll lapse enough money to make things get to $0.....if May and June's revenue growth is about 4.8%.
The Walker administration also delayed the repayment of $108 million in state debt and refinanced another $10 million in borrowing. Lang said that left the state closer to $15 million in the hole this fiscal year, which he said the administration can likely make up on its own if it needs to.
Sounds like a stable, well-run operation, doesn't it?
The question is, why did Walker & his GOP buddies in the legislature not use the exact same techniques in 2011 to cover a far smaller projected deficit?
ReplyDeleteIt behooves us to remember at this point that the FY10-11 budget that Walker inherited was never repaired. The budget repair bill aka Act 10 was injuncted in full until the last 2 days of FY11.
Interesting how that worked out, isn't it Geoff? And they never mention the $636 million in extra revenues that the Doyle-Dem budget gave them for Fiscal Years 2011-2013 to balance those budgets with much less difficulty.
DeleteBut one's an emergency in need of immediate repair, while another is allowed to play out with behind-the-scenes steps. Funny that.