Topeka — House Speaker Kent Glasscock says there might be hundreds of millions of extra dollars in the state transportation plan that could be used to bridge shortfalls in other areas of the state budget.
Faced with a tight budget, Glasscock said Friday that lawmakers Monday will start looking at the highway money and seeing where it could be better spent.
But Transportation Secretary Dean Carlson says Glasscock is seeing a mirage.
The dispute centers on Kansas' comprehensive transportation plan. Adopted by the Legislature two years ago, it was a $13 billion plan for highway construction and other projects during a 10-year period.
But Glasscock, R-Manhattan, said the plan has grown upwards of $700 million from when it was first put together because of higher-than-expected local matching funds and good deals on the sale of bonds.
He said key lawmakers will look at about $300 million of that amount equal to $30 million over 10 years to possibly spread in other areas of the budget.
Education, social service needs and a myriad of other requests are straining the budget past available revenue.
Gov. Bill Graves and some state senators have endorsed various tax increases, but a majority of lawmakers, including Glasscock, remain opposed to increasing taxes.
On April 4, state budget experts will present their final revenue estimate for fiscal year 2002, which starts July 1. Lawmakers will use that estimate as the target for their spending plan.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Kenny Wilk, R-Lansing, said lawmakers will look at the highway plan funds, especially if the April 4 revenue estimate falls below previous estimates.
Glasscock said money could be taken from the transportation plan without affecting any of the projects promised to be built.
But Carlson said the highway plan shows growth primarily because of larger-than-expected contributions of local funds to generate matching funds from the state.
If the state funds are cut, then some local projects are not going to get done, he said.
Carlson said he knows the highway plan will be a target as lawmakers search for funds for the budget. He expects the big battles to come after the Legislature takes a break April 6 and then returns later in the month to wrap up the budget.
"I will have to have bodyguards because people will be shooting at me," Carlson said.
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