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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Gov. Robert Bentley said Tuesday he's looking to a group of Republican legislators for ideas on how to provide more revenue for the state's tight General Fund budget, but he's not in the mood for new taxes.
Bentley told a convention of active and retired public employees that he and the Legislature have worked to save money by streamlining state agencies, trimming state employees, and refinancing bond issues at lower interest rates. He said there is not much else that can be done in those areas to help the General Fund budget that finances non-education agencies.
"We are going to need some additional money from some source, whether it is one-time money like we have found in the past. I don't know where that is," he said.
Bentley said he's willing to look at any ideas, but he said, "Right now I'm not for any new taxes."
One idea that has been kicked around by some legislators is getting the governor to sign a compact with the Poarch Creek Indians, which would allow them to expand the types of gambling offered at their three casinos in return for the tribe paying money to the state. Bentley said he's had no discussions with the tribe.
Bentley is seeking a second term in the general election Nov. 4. His Democratic challenger, Parker Griffith, speaks to the Alabama Retired State Employees' Association and Alabama Public Employees' Advocacy League on Wednesday. The group does not make endorsements in gubernatorial races, but both candidates traditionally make their pitches to the group every four years.
Bentley told the group that the state hasn't given a cost-of-living raise to active or retired state employees during his administration because revenue was too tight. But he said he would like to give a raise if revenue becomes available.
His opponent is running on a platform of legalizing a state lottery to fund college scholarships and expand the state's pre-kindergarten program.
Bentley said he voted against former Gov. Don Siegelman's lottery plan, which was defeated by Alabama voters in 1999, because he had questions about how it was designed and where the money was going.
He said a governor has no role in whether the Legislature decides to hold another statewide referendum on legalizing a lottery, but he said, "I've never been opposed to people's right to vote on an issue, and I'm still not."
He said how he would vote in a lottery referendum would depend on how the lottery were designed. He said he would like to see the scholarships be income-based, and he would like some of the lottery revenue to go to the General Fund because it has greater needs than education.
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