A new budget outlook, and possible budget process changes
Yesterday the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council adopted a four-year budget outlook based on Gov. Inslee’s proposed 2017–19 operating budget. According to the outlook, his proposal would leave a near general fund–state plus opportunity pathways (NGFS+) unrestricted ending balance in 2019–21 of negative $2.041 billion (and total reserves would be negative $596 million). Meanwhile, the […]
January 17 , 2017 - Emily Makings
New report: Gov. Inslee's 2017-19 Operating Budget Proposal Would Significantly Increase Spending and Taxes
In a new report, we provide an overview of Gov. Inslee's proposed operating budget for the next biennium. Briefly: Economic growth means that NGFS+ revenues for 2017-19 are expected to increase by $2.579 billion over 2015-17. Gov. Inslee proposes increasing revenues by another $4.369 billion. The B&O tax rate on services would be increased from […]
January 12 , 2017 - Mary Strow
How Washington state ranks on federal aid
The Tax Foundation is out with a new ranking: "Which States Rely the Most on Federal Aid?" Washington state is #33, with 29.2 percent of its Fiscal Year 2014 state general revenue coming from the federal government. The Foundation notes: In fiscal year 2014, over 60 percent of federal spending in the states went to […]
January 09 , 2017 - Mary Strow
2017 Legislative Session Starts Today
The state Legislature begins its 2017 session today. This being an odd-numbered year, session is scheduled to last 105 days, with an April 23 adjournment date. Almost nobody believes lawmakers will finish their business by then, however, in which case the governor can call a special session (or a series of special sessions as the […]
January 05 , 2017 - Mary Strow
Lawmakers on K-12 funding panel issue competing recommendations
In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, every year on Feb. 2 residents await the sign of a groundhog – Punxsutawney Phil – to forecast the onset of spring. In the Washington state Legislature, lawmakers and other observers were awaiting a sign yesterday of how much members of the Joint Education Task Force could agree on solutions for full state […]
January 03 , 2017 - Emily Makings
Local government budgeting issues
At the Municipal Research and Services Center’s blog, Stan Finkelstein offers some useful budgeting advice for local governments. He notes, Many local officials have incorporated into their 2017 budgets the filling of new positions, expansion or growth of services, and the incurring of new debt to be serviced by General Fund/Current Expense revenues. But local […]
December 21 , 2016 - Emily Makings
Gov. Inslee's within-existing-revenues budget alternative ignores McCleary
The governor is required by law to propose a budget that balances within existing revenues—this is called the “Book 1” budget. The 2017–19 operating budget Gov. Inslee proposed last week certainly did not meet that criteria, but it represents his preferred spending program. It would increase near general fund–state plus opportunity pathways (NGFS+) spending by […]
December 16 , 2016 - Emily Makings
More from the governor’s operating budget proposal
This week Gov. Inslee released his 2017–19 budget proposal. I’ve been looking through the numbers a bit more. (See here and here for posts giving an overview of the proposal. Also, Kriss, Mary and I talked about it in this episode of our podcast.) Overall, the budget would increase near general fund–state plus opportunity pathways […]
December 14 , 2016 - Emily Makings
Gov. Inslee’s proposed budget would increase spending by $8.2 billion
Gov. Inslee has proposed increasing the 2017-19 near general fund–state plus opportunity pathways (NGFS+) operating budget by $8.2 billion over 2015-17 expenditures. This number includes the $3.9 billion in education spending the governor proposed yesterday, and it includes both policy and maintenance level spending. According to the summary document, about $4.8 billion of the $8.2 […]
December 13 , 2016 - Emily Makings
Gov. Inslee’s education proposal would increase spending by $3.9 billion and add $4.4 billion in new taxes
Today Gov. Inslee released his proposal to increase education spending in the 2017–19 biennial budget. Some of this proposed spending is related to the McCleary decision. According to the governor’s policy brief, the proposal “includes the final steps of addressing teacher compensation and ending the decades-long overreliance on local levies for basic education.” It throws […]