Editorial: Approval of state capital budget still requires compromise

The following editorial is from the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin:

When the state Legislature convenes in January, Democrats will be in control. And that reality has some folks thinking a politically unified House, Senate and Governor’s Office will be able to finally approve the capital (or construction) budget that stalled this year because of an impasse between Democrats who controlled the House and Republicans who controlled the Senate.

Well, those people could find themselves being wrong – and frustrated.

Democrats will control the Legislature by a slim margin – one vote in the Senate and two votes in the House – but it takes a supermajority (60 percent) to approve the bonding (as in funding) for the capital budget.

That means Democrats won’t be able to approve the capital budget without Republican votes. A deal – a compromise – will be necessary to get the capital budget approved, and it must be approved ASAP.

The fact it was not approved by the July 1 deadline, the beginning of the new fiscal year for the state, has already cost taxpayers plenty. In October, the Walla Walla City Council authorized issuance of up to $23.66 million in bonds and bond anticipation notes.

This was necessary because the state didn’t pass the capital budget, which would have allowed the city to borrow for its water treatment plant and other projects. The result will be $430,660 in interest payments. The story was the same for local governments across the state.

Lawmakers failed to agree on the capital budget before the deadline because Democrats would not join with Republicans in finding a fix for the Hirst court decision, which essentially put the onus on local governments and property owners to determine if enough groundwater is physically and legally available before they issue building permits in rural areas.

To be clear, the failure to reach a compromise to this point is bipartisan.

The current Senate Republican Leader, Mark Schoesler, who will likely be the minority leader in January, said he is against giving the OK to a capital budget without an agreement to address the Hirst decision.

“Show me a Hirst fix that can get the support of 60 percent of the members,” he said. “What’s changed?”

The costs associated with not having a capital budget grow larger day after day. A solution for the citizens of Washington state is overdue.

Democrats took control of the Senate because of the Nov. 7 election. That puts them in charge, and makes them responsible for getting things done.

Leaders from both parties need to get together between now and the opening of the legislative session, hammer out a reasonable compromise on the capital budget and Hirst decision, and then take action.

This mess has already cost taxpayers too much.