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Richard Piatt ReportingThere is good news from the State Capitol: There's more money available than expected; but the rosy economic outlook is far from a license for lawmakers to spend.
The Legislature is already getting pressure from all sides over how to spend the extra money. In fact, one lawmaker says demands are about triple the actual budget goal.
Still, the news is good. Revenue is more than $50-million over estimates for a total of almost $92-million extra for next year. And there will be more money to spend on a one-time basis: $107.9 million for things that won't need to be funded again, like equipment or construction projects.
Still, high paying jobs aren't easy to find in Utah, and sales tax collections are sluggish. What's saving Utah at this point are rising Corporate and income taxes collections.
Rep. Ron Bigelow, (R) West Valley City: "And we expect that trend to continue. And so we won't have the problems we've had in the past where we have to go in and cut programs. This time we can actually add funds, but of course there are still a lot of unmet needs out there."
There are unmet needs in the state's public education system and higher education. But there are also Medicaid programs that need to be funded; state employees raises are a priority; the Department of Correction needs more money. The list goes on, making this a challenge for the Legislature in spite of the good economic news today.
