Health A Budget Winner, But Students, Police Lose Tough Choices Made In Light Of $6 Million Spending Overrun

A coalition of moderates and anti-property tax conservatives gave extra cash to Idaho’s Public Health Districts on Thursday.

But it came at the expense of extra money for college student incentive grants and crime-fighting technology for law enforcement.

The trade-off came after the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee’s chief analyst, Jeff Youtz, detailed the financial picture that leaves lawmakers facing legitimate spending that runs nearly $6 million over available revenue.

“There are many, many other items that have been suggested,” House Appropriations Chairman Bob Geddes of Preston said. “The committee needs to understand that many of them will have to go unfunded given the budget picture.”

Overall, proposals are pending before lawmakers that would add $48 million to the conservative spending blueprint outlined by GOP Gov. Phil Batt. Even with 5 percent revenue growth, the governor had to call out extra tax collectors to keep his budget in the black.

Before the committee wrapped up its second day of setting the new state budget, Senate Finance Chairman Atwell Parry, R-Melba, committed himself to finding up to $400,000 in the 1999-2000 budget for more State Police troopers. No new troopers have been added since 1993, despite Idaho’s dramatic population growth.

Despite the penny-pinching admonition from Geddes, the committee’s first action on Thursday was to reject the governor’s proposal for the health districts on an 11-7 vote. The panel then beefed it up with another $150,000.

Even with that extra cash, however, the state commitment to the seven districts falls short of the level maintained the past four years.

“Every year I’ve been here, we’re in a tight budget situation,” Republican Sen. John Hansen of Idaho Falls said. “What we have to do is establish priorities. There’s no other place we get a bigger bang for the buck. If it’s not properly funded, the needs are there and it goes right back on the property tax.”

Senate Finance Vice Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, led the opposition to extra money, claiming most districts have account balances large enough to run the operations for two or three months. Money from those balances can be used to cover what the districts do not get from the state for the 1998-1999 financial year, he argued.

But Republican Sen. Stan Hawkins of Ucon called a two-to-three-month reserve conservative, pointing out that he has a substantially larger reserve for his own business.

“What we really ought to do here is sever the connection between the health districts and the state if we’re not going to fund them adequately,”

District advocates emphasized that county support is restricted because of the cap lawmakers imposed on annual county budget increases four years ago. And the districts have emphasized that the only other outlet to cope with rising costs is boosting the fees they charge people for health services - something they fear will price critical care beyond the reach of many.

“This is a health matter,” Democratic Sen. Marguerite McLaughlin of Orofino declared. “The districts are out there working with the babies, the mothers, with every health problem out there.”

But after losing on that point, conservatives recovered nearly all the money by cutting Batt’s recommendation for $60,000 in hidden recording devices for the Department of Law Enforcement and another $85,000 in student incentive grants. That was enough cash to provide another 190 college students about $450 a year to soften the bite of rising fees.