Montana revenue shortfall triggers worst-case budget cuts
HELENA — Montana revenues have fallen far enough below projections to trigger a worst-case scenario — $97 million in spending cuts across state government starting as soon as next month, Gov. Steve Bullock’s budget director said Tuesday.
Schools and health programs will receive the brunt of the cuts. The Office of Public Instruction that oversees public schools will lose at least $19 million over two years, while the Department of Public Health and Human Services will have to cut at least $26 million, the governor’s budget office said. Both figures are significantly higher than estimates provided earlier by the legislative fiscal office.
In addition, $30 million will be transferred out of the state’s reserve fund used to pay the cost of fighting wildfires, with more fires burning in Montana than in any other U.S. state. At least $30 million will remain in the fund, which state officials project should be enough to cover firefighting costs.
The Republican-led Montana Legislature passed a budget earlier this year based on revenue coming in at $2.2 billion. Democratic lawmakers and Bullock’s budget director, Dan Villa, warned that revenue estimate was overly optimistic compared to the governor’s projections.
Read more: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2017/07/25/montana-revenue-shortfall-triggers-worst-case-budget-cuts/103991772/
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