Jason Mercier, director of the Center for Government Reform at the Washington Policy Center, sends word that the state Office of Financial Management has sent state agencies the instructions for filling out their 2011-13 budget requests . He notes that the questions listed are similar to those that his conservative think tank has suggested in the past.

If you follow the link, you’ll see a number of common-sense criteria for spending decisions. You might also recall that the late Jim West was a big proponent of the “priorities of government” model when he left the Senate to run for (and become) mayor of Spokane.