‘Tough issues before us’

At the conclusion of Gov. Butch Otter’s State of the State message, in which he called for a no-growth budget for next year, House Speaker Lawerence Denney responded, “Thank you, governor. We’ll look forward to working with you to solve the tough issues that are before us.”
The no-growth budget would rely on the same revenue figure as this year - $2.349 billion - even though state economists expect more, and would set a general-fund budget for 2011 of $2.455 billion, down from this year’s original state general-fund budget of $2.5066 billion. The budget calls for no salary increases for state employees; and spending all but $32.8 million of the state’s reserve funds by the end of fiscal year 2011. The governor does, however, want to fund the scheduled increase in the grocery tax credit, which will cost the state about $15 million.