Under the budget Gov. Butch Otter is crafting to present to state lawmakers, Idahoans next year would face longer waits for state services, some state field offices would be open just four days a week, and about 100 state workers would face layoffs. With the economic downturn pinching state tax funds, Otter is working on plans to cut state government well beyond the 4 percent budget holdbacks he already implemented this fall. Those fall cuts would become permanent, along with an additional $120 million in permanent cuts. But unlike the fall holdbacks, Otter's plan for cutting the state budget in the coming year doesn't rely on across-the-board cuts. Instead, each state agency would see an additional cut ranging anywhere from zero to 6 percent, for a total of nearly 10 percent in cuts in some areas. You can read my full story here in the Spokesman-Review.

---

---