KINGSTON — The budget message District 23 Legislators shared at a town hall meeting Saturday morning was bleak.
The North Kitsap meeting drew a crowd of about 30 residents. The first order of business, however, was state budget 101, as a potential $8.3 billion shortfall is driving the legislators’ every decision.
“We’re potentially facing an $8.3 billion dollar shortfall which is based on a forecast we received in February,” said Sen. Phil Rockefeller (D — Bainbridge.) “The actual forecast on which we build the budget will be released next week and I’m going to predict $8.3 may well be conservative. It may be in the vicinity of $9 billion.”
The anticipated shortfall accounts for 22 percent of the two-year (July 1 through June 30, 2011) general fund budget which balances at $36.9 billion. The majority of the state’s budget is allocated to areas that cannot be cut: K-12 education takes 40 percent, human services or medical assistance is allocated 13 percent and debt service and corrections ties up 10 percent.
Rockefeller explained the portion of the budget allocated to education is protected by the state’s constitution, medical assistance — Medicaid — is protected by the federal government and debt services/corrections are expenditures the state can’t default on because it would would jeopardize the population’s safety.
“Protected money makes up about 60 percent of the total budget and that means we must cut from all other categories and high education,” Rockefeller said. “To address the budget deficit we will not be cutting $8.3 billion from $36.9 billion but from $13.7 billion. It’s a very sobering prospect.”
Rep. Christine Rolfes (D—Bainbridge) said the transportation budget is separate from the general fund budget and the viaduct in Seattle, the 520 Bridge in Kirkland and the Washington State Ferries are the three major projects at the forefront. She added the Manette Bridge is on schedule for a $8.5 million improvement as are improvements in Silverdale for expansion of Harrison Medical Center.
Rep. Sherry Appleton (D—Poulsbo) said in the health and human services arena, some 38 percent of the state’s prison population are nonviolent drug offenders. She said releasing them and treating them in the community would cost $4,000 opposed to $28,000 in prison.
Chris Evatt with Kitsap Mental Health Services questioned the plan, asking if the agencies that support outpatient recovery would be adequately funded for the increased service demands.
“We are going to save ADATSA (Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Treatment and Support Act),” Appleton said. “It’s one of the 71 programs we are looking at trying to keep. I can’t promise full funding but the program is not going away.”
Rockfeller referred to outpatient care as a moral issue as well as a budget issue.
Other community questions centered on funding basic education, preserving family planning services, congestion and culverts on Hwy. 305 and what is the effect of the state budget on middle-class families?
Pleas were made to preserve 1-728 education funds, which go toward keeping kindergarten through fifth-grade class sizes small, raising the levy lid cap for local government and support for local government in general.
The three legislators agreed funding basic education is a constitutional priority and also said an effort will be made to maintain family planning funding.
The legislators acknowledged they are in a bind and very little is certain, but they are seeking relief for the middle class.
“Given our economy the No. 1 issue is jobs,” Rockefeller said. “We’re looking at every way we can use federal and state dollars to help address this issue.”
Community members themselves said it was time to start thinking seriously about introducing a state income tax.
Rockefeller explained they can only develop a budget with available revenue and asked those in attendance if they’d like an opportunity to vote for additional taxes and revenue. A collective yes or head nod was the answer.
When asked directly about an income tax Appleton said she’d absolutely support the tax: “I think it’s the only way out of our fiscal problems.”
Rolfes said an income tax would be the most fair, but is hesitant to support one and would only do so if “people were clamoring for it.”
Rockefeller said he made a promise not to introduce an income tax, but said he’d reevaluate his thinking based upon what he was hearing from those in attendance.
“It may be we will only see a change in attitude when social services fail,” he said. “I prefer to concentrate on lifting our economy. We’ve got to revive the economy.”
