Lawmakers wrestle with state budget gap

DES MOINES – Lawmakers from both political parties Thursday said there will be some huge gaps to fill to reconcile their fiscal 2011 budget with the blueprint Gov. Culver forwarded to them.

Minority Republicans questioned whether Culver's expectation of saving $341 million via state government reorganization and efficiencies was real and majority Democrats put their expectation closer to $200 million.

“$140 million – that's a lot,” said Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “There are some savings that seem a little high in our estimate. I think they'll all very well-educated guesses.”

Some Republicans were less diplomatic, with Sen. Merlin Bartz, R-Grafton, saying the governor's numbers don't add up and majority Democrats who control the Legislature are shedding little light on what direction they plan to take in balancing next year's budget.

“The figures aren't matching the rhetoric,” Bartz said. “There's the old saying, I feel like a mushroom – I'm being kept in the dark and they're feeding me a bunch of you know what. That's kind of how we feel about it.”

Senate GOP Leader Paul McKinley of Chariton said a preliminary review indicates the governor is seeking to use $387 million in one-time money on top of his $5.32 billion general fund appropriations to spend more than $5.7 billion in fiscal 2011.

“This is just a continuation of the governor not living within his means,” McKinley said. “This creates a major problem down the road.”

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said it's early in the process and lawmakers plan to move quickly on government reorganization and early retirement incentives so they can establish spending targets for the rest of the budget.

“We all want to get to the same place,” he said. “The route we take to get there may vary a little bit.”

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey took issue with Culver's contention that the budget the governor proposed on Wednesday could be achieved without a new round of employee layoffs or furloughs after July 1.

Northey said the $16.8 million general fund appropriation Culver targeted for his agency would create a $3.29 million gap and require him to reduce his staff by another 50 positions on top of the five layoffs and 44 vacant positions left open in the current fiscal year.