State deficit? So what!
Posted by brvanlanen on November 30, 2008
(H/T – Berry Laker)
It seems the Wisconsin DNR doesn’t care about the fact that there’s a huge budget shortfall that has to be dealt with. They’ve requested an increase of $27.3 million in their upcoming budget request.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is asking for a $27.3 million increase in its 2009-11 biennial budget, according to Department of Administration documents released this past week.
The Natural Resources Board approved the proposed budget in September.
In a memo to the board, DNR secretary Matthew Frank outlined the details of a proposed bottom line of $596.5 million for 2009-10 and $596.7 million for 2010-11, for a total of $1,193.2 billion agency budget.
That’s $27.3 million more than in 2007-09, of which Frank said $18.7 million represented the cost to continue current items.
“Of these amounts, about $231.6 million annually, or 39 percent, represents local assistance and debt service costs,” Frank wrote. “The remaining $365.1 million reflects department costs to provide services.”
These are tough economic times that are being faced, taxpayers have had to tighten their wallets when it comes to spending. Apparently the DNR feels belt-tightening doesn’t apply to them. But get this – the DNR secretary is trying to claim this is a restrained budget.
Frank told board members it was a restrained budget, reflecting both the state’s current fiscal climate and the Department of Administration’s budget instructions.
“When cost to continue is excluded, this budget reflects a 0.7 percent growth over base,” he wrote. “Even if standard cost to continue items are included, there is still only a 2.3 percent rate of growth over the 2008-09 base budget.”
Frank said the DNR was continuing to reduce staffing levels. The new budget would cut agency personnel by 3.36 full-time equivalent positions, reducing total staffing to 2,742.17 full-time equivalent positions.
Even within the context of self-control, Frank told the board the agency could still make progress on some of its most important environmental initiatives, particularly in trying to stem the spread of invasive species on land and water, in dealing with Wisconsin’s water quality and water quantity issues, in providing grants for dam repair and removal, in supporting conservation wardens’ efforts pertaining to snowmobile safety and education, in maintaining department properties, and in operating state parks and trails.
Whatever. Ordinary taxpayers can’t exclude costs. And they have to cut spending not increase it like your budget request does. Here’s a novel idea – how about making the tough decision to actually make CUTS!
But no instead there’s this -
In other budget areas, the DNR hopes to spend $1,118,700 more in each year of the biennium for its vehicle fleet.
“The Department requests $1,118,700 annually to address fleet rate increases caused by fuel price increases and significant increases in repair costs for fleet vehicles,” the agency analysis stated. “The increased vehicle repair costs relate to several factors, including inflationary increases for replacement parts as well as fuel surcharges added to the parts delivery. Additionally, in an effort to fully maximize each vehicle, the Department’s fleet includes various older, high mileage vehicles. These vehicles incur costlier repairs as they age which has also contributed to increased repair costs for the fleet.”
And this -
The budget also would allocate $73.7 million for land acquisition and $62.3 million for capital development. The capital development budget includes $1.9 million for a Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery Renovation Project, $17.6 million for work on the Southeast Region Headquarters/Service Center, $2.8 million for statewide fire control heavy unit drive-thru storage buildings for the Boscobel, Brule, Poynette, and Wausaukee ranger stations, $6.1 million for Rib Mt. State Park sewer, water, road and park entrance visitors station (funded by Stewardship borrowing), $2.7 million for the Governor Thompson State Park/Peshtigo State Forest (family campground, road construction, Woods Lake Beach and Caldron Falls day use facilities), $778,400 for the Black River State Forest Castle Mound Campground vehicle maintenance and equipment storage building, and $1.6 million for the statewide park entrance and visitors’ stations at Black River State Forest-Castle Mound Campground and Lake Kegonsa State Park.
Nice to see that the DNR feels the need to waste more money acquiring land and performing capital improvements during tough economic times. And what’s with that almost $2 million for the maintaining of vehicles?
BUt then again it’s just taxpayer money so who cares right?
