[Vision2020] Idaho Gov Announces $100 Million Holdback

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of the Lewiston tribune.

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Idaho governor announces $100 million holdback

Idaho Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter announced a tiered budget holdback this
morning that cuts state spending by about 4 percent, or almost $100
million.

The largest portion of that would come from the public schools budget.
Otter, however, asked the Idaho Legislature to use $49.3 million from the
state's rainy day savings account to offset those cuts.

The spending reductions are intended to address a 6 percent, $151 million
general fund shortfall in the fiscal 2010 budget. Critical or
constitutionally required services - such as the state police, the
Department of Correction and Department of Health and Welfare - escaped
with smaller cuts ranging from 2.5 percent to 5 percent.

Essential services were hit with a 6 percent holdback; that includes
colleges and universities, which will lose almost $15.2 million in
funding. Other general fund agencies face cuts of 7.5 percent.

Overall, Otter's proposal covers about two-thirds of the projected shortfall.

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Seeya at the polls, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The college
students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."

- Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)