Even Gov. Graves doesn't want to claim the state budget he put on the table last week.
The Kansas state budget process is a little different this year. Governors traditionally announce their budget proposals with significant fanfare. The budget usually is kept under wraps until being released in media sessions the same day as the governor's State of the State address. At detailed briefings, the governor outlines his or her budget priorities, but all the information is embargoed so news media won't steal the governor's thunder.
Part of the intention is to let the governor explain the plan and highlight particularly good budget news. Thanks to a booming state economy, Gov. Bill Graves has been able to pepper his "high-and-tight" budgets with quite a bit of good news during his two terms in office.
But, as we said, this year is a little different.
There isn't any good news in the budget, so instead of presenting it with fanfare, Graves and his administration decided to slide it in the back door. Duane Goossen, the governor's budget director, presented the budget to media representatives on Thursday. Graves didn't even attend the meeting.
Graves has made it clear that he's not proud of this budget. State law requires him to present a budget that uses only existing funds, and slumping revenue has made that task difficult. In fact, Graves contends it has made his budget task impossible, which is why he has left his legally required budget at the Legislature's doorstep like an abandoned child.
Admittedly, it is a budget that would be difficult for anyone to love. There are budget reductions for higher education, public K-12 schools and many administrative agencies. The Department of Transportation would receive no general fund money and would be forced to operate only with bonds, federal funds and revenue from the gasoline tax and vehicle registrations.
Graves clearly hopes that even the staunchest anti-tax legislators will find this budget unacceptable. So, on Monday, the day of his State of the State address, the governor will focus not on his dismal budget but on his plans to make it better. He is expected to present a package of tax increases that will fund a budget that will be at least slightly more palatable than the one presented last week.
It's not a bad strategy. There's no reason for the governor to waste much time explaining or justifying a budget he can't support. He was right to just put it on the table and walk away. His time, and the time of the Legislature, will be better spent trying to figure out ways to continue state services at an acceptable level in spite of the tight economic times.
It won't be an easy year, but legislators need to at least keep the state from slipping backward in such key areas as public schools and higher education. Hopefully, Gov. Graves will present a good starting point for those discussions in the budget/tax proposals he puts on the table Monday.
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