GOP targets Sebelius’ budget ‘holes’

? Some Republican lawmakers digging into Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ proposed budget say they are finding funding gaps with no revenue to fill them in.

“Every budget has holes,” said House budget-writing chairman Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls. But, he added, that the proposed $4.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2005 is kind of like Spam — not the unwanted e-mail but the mystery meat.

Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, has complained several times about the governor’s “very loose budgeting.”

But Sebelius’ budget director Duane Goossen, who has worked for Republicans and Democrats, said the governor’s state budget was accurate and straightforward.

“Nothing unprecedented,” Goossen said. “The same mechanical methods have been used before.”

The major problem, some lawmakers say, is finding the savings that Sebelius says have been made by her Budget Efficiency Savings Teams, who were charged with an overall review of state government operations.

“The one thing that makes things really unknown is the use of BEST team recommendations to grab money,” Neufeld said.

For example, he said, the BEST recommendations take about $71,000 of investment earnings from the public employee pension system that are generally used to help fund operating costs and put that money in the general fund, which is used to finance the rest of state government.

This sweeping of agency funds occurs throughout state government under Sebelius’ budget, totaling nearly $27 million, which would be used to fund a 3 percent pay raise for state employees.

“We’re asking agencies to take a reduction in information technology and purchasing, and those are reasonable targets,” Goossen said. “And those savings would be transferred to the general fund. Those funds are being used to finance the salary plan for state employees.”

Neufeld also takes exception with the governor’s proposed reduction in the sexual predator treatment program at the Larned State Hospital campus.

That reduction, Goossen said, exists only on paper, and Sebelius will fully fund whatever is needed to operate the program once more accurate figures are available.

Goossen noted that the governor kicked more money into the current year budget for the program than the Legislature had approved last year.

Another area that has some lawmakers concerned is the funding level for rehabilitation of buildings at regents universities.

Sebelius has proposed a $7 million appropriation, much less than the traditional $10 million annual allocation.

“There are some holes that have to be filled,” Senate budget-writing chairman Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, said, referring to the building fund.

But Goossen said Sebelius had to pull back on the building fund because last year the Legislature over-appropriated money to the fund.

In subcommittee budget hearings, lawmakers say they are finding some agencies are unprepared to say how they will make Sebelius’ proposed cuts through administrative efficiencies.

But Goossen said the BEST teams found that level of reductions a reachable goal.

“We believe state agencies can meet that,” he said.