Huntsman, legislators work out budget deal

An agreement between Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and legislative leaders on how to cut the budget to deal with more than $272 million in revenue shortfalls was reached late Thursday night, after lawmakers agreed to restore a tax break at the governor's request.

Huntsman called the Legislature into special session to balance the state's $13 billion spending plan for the budget year that began July 1. Lawmakers have agreed to, in effect, cut 3 percent from most state agency budgets and are postponing bonding for ongoing transportation projects until the 2009 Legislature.

"I think we are there" in the final budget balancing, said Rep. Brad Dee, R-Ogden, House majority assistant whip, on Friday morning.

The staffs of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and the Legislature "worked much of the night" to fill in areas that needed more funding so their 3 percent cuts wouldn't be too harmful.

But House Minority Leader Brad King, D-Price, said there are still areas House Democrats worry about.

"We would like to take more ongoing tax money out of transportation, either bond for that money or delay some projects, and put that into Human Services," said King, adding that he doesn't want Utah's needy to be harmed.

House Minority Whip David Litvack, D-Salt Lake, said: "In some areas we are cutting off our nose to spite our face." In Corrections, for example, they are cutting back on inmate treatment programs. That could increase inmate recidivism.

"Those folks may be just right back in prison (after committing a new crime after being paroled), so we aren't saving any money. We're costing taxpayers more" and could be harming public safety, said Litvack.

Lawmakers spent much of Thursday meeting in appropriations subcommittees, dealing with the details of what was a complicated process of cutting budgets by 4 percent, with the promise that most state agencies would get back 1 percent of those reductions.

Public schools are the exception. Both the governor and legislative leaders agreed from the onset to "hold harmless" public school spending by restoring all of the money cut from classrooms.

State agencies reported to the governor's office that nearly 199 positions would have to be cut, but it was not known Thursday night how many of those jobs are currently filled.

Although the governor sought to bond for about half of the shortfall to cover transportation and building projects that were to have been paid for with cash, lawmakers said they found enough of those one-time monies to keep the work going through the end of the year.

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said the state will end up having to bond for at least $19 million come January to continue the transportation projects. That number could climb even higher. But, he said, taxpayers should be happy that the state chose not to borrow money in a budget crisis.

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