Gov. Butch Otter's budget is aimed at reducing the amount of one-time money that's targeted at ongoing needs, Wayne Hammon, Otter's budget chief, told lawmakers on JFAC this morning. His budget anticipates a $103.5 million balance at the end of fiscal year 2012. That one-time surplus then is mostly spent in his 2013 proposal on one-time spending, including the $60 million in deposits into the various state rainy-day accounts.

The governor's budget for next year still includes $36 million in Medicaid provider assessments that could be viewed as one-time money going to ongoing needs, Hammon said; the administration hopes to  reduce that with some excess funds from the Division of Veterans Services, but no agreement has yet been reached on that.

Hammon said this year's state budget included $74.6 million in one-time money directed to ongoing needs, so Otter's proposal halves that for next year, with the hope of getting it down to zero in fiscal year 2014.