Spokane7
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December 15, 2011 in City
State Senate approves partial budget fix
Cuts a fraction of governor’s request
OLYMPIA – Realizing it wouldn’t find $2 billion in budget savings in 30 days, the Legislature settled Wednesday on a fourth of that in 17 days, and called it quits for now.
The Senate approved a $480 million budget adjustment Wednesday afternoon that uses a combination of budget transfers, accounting maneuvers and cuts to state programs or departments. The rest of the savings, and possibly more if the state’s economic outlook doesn’t improve, will have to wait for a 60-day regular session that starts in less than three weeks.
So will any proposals to raise taxes or reform government.
Like the House on Tuesday, the Senate gave overwhelming and bipartisan support to the changes to the General Fund budget, known by some as the “early action package” and by others as a partial down payment.
Those who are disappointed because the savings aren’t greater right now can blame him, said state Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, the chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. It’s not particularly helpful to cast blame, he said, “but I’m willing to take that responsibility. Then, let’s move on.”
Sen. Joe Zarelli of Ridgefield, the top Republican on the Senate budget panel, called it “a good start on a huge problem.” While Gov. Chris Gregoire was able to name $2 billion worth of cuts she could approve in the two months after a bad revenue forecast in September, Zarelli said, she only had to get one vote for those choices: hers.
In the Legislature, “you’ve got to move these things back and forth,” Zarelli said. “I’m happy that we’re getting something done.”
Gregoire had also proposed that the Legislature ask voters to “buy back” about $500 million of the cuts she was suggesting, especially cuts in state funding poorer school districts receive through a process called levy equalization, and a four-day reduction in the school year. To do that, she asked the Legislature to put a proposal on the March ballot for a temporary increase of a half-percent in the sales tax. The Legislature didn’t consider that, although some tax increases are likely to come up in January and February.
In congratulating legislators for at least making a down payment on the budget problems, Gregoire said they should continue negotiations on further cuts to make sure a more complete budget is passed early in the regular session. “Now is not the time to rest,” she said in a prepared statement.
One of the things in the current budget fix is a nine-month delay of payments to school districts for school bus maintenance and depreciation. That saves the state almost $50 million, at least on paper, but could leave schools in trouble if their buses break down. Murray said the Legislature will set up a contingency fund for hardship cases when it returns in January.
Among those voting no were Republican state Sens. Mike Baumgartner of Spokane and Mike Padden of the Spokane Valley.
Baumgartner called the budget “the lowest common denominator” of what budget negotiators could agree to. “I think a lot more could’ve been done. It’s still Wednesday, Dec. 14. There’s no reason we couldn’t work through this process some more.”
Padden said the budget fix relies on too many gimmicks, like the bus depreciation. “That’s not real savings,” he said. “It’s not some of the real reforms we should’ve been looking at.”
Along with the budget adjustments, the Legislature approved a package of programs designed to boost training for aerospace jobs, one of the growing segments of the state’s economy, and asked Congress to change federal law so that online retailers will collect sales tax from their customers and send Washington its share of the taxes from those sales.
Supermajority for taxes unconstitutional, judge rules 
gotcha on December 15 at 9:08 a.m.
Gregoire and Lisa Brown are as lame as politcans get. They act like they have acomplished something but if you read the facts they completed 25% of their job in making the cuts that must be made. Now they go on holidays until January. This is no more than stall tactics. Make the cuts, and you will not get any new or increased taxes from us taxpayers. Everyone please get together and get rid of Lisa Brown she is a waste and embarasment to Spokane. Union purchased politicans suck.
Bob_Knows on December 15 at 4:54 p.m.
Politicians can’t find $2 billion in spending cuts in 30 days. Politicians are corrupt idiots. Give me 5 minutes with a red pen and I would identify enough cuts to have a budget surplus. Its not rocket science for anyone who wants to do it.
arroyoribera on December 18 at 6:38 p.m.
Bob, Just identify yourself by name so that we can get your campaign for office organized. Oh, you don’t want yourself identified? Makes it pretty easy then, doesn’t it, to call people corrupt and idiots? No, no one is going to give you a red pen for a moment, much less five minutes, until you have the nerve to identify yourself. Enjoy your time off from the real world and get back to us with some serious proposals.
Likewise “gotcha”, once you identify yourself and learn to use some punctuation - a necessary skill for those writing budgets, laws, etc. - we can start to take you seriously. Just create a new profile at the S-R with your real name and add some real world solutions. In the meantime, you are just another faceless whiner.
David Brookbank