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Wyoming basks in $1.2 billion budget surplus — State expanding prisons, building 30 new schools
As other states struggle to avoid drastic budget cuts, Wyoming will expand prisons, open nearly 30 new schools and build better college athletic facilities with its $1.2 billion surplus.
Lawmakers approved an unprecedented $500 million checklist of public works projects and socked away $250 million during the legislative budget session that ended Friday.
Associated Press
The amount is double what the state spent for the fiscal year 2002-2003.
The surplus – the result of an unexpected windfall from revenues from higher oil and natural gas prices – was the largest of all states this year, according to the Council of State Governments.
"Wyoming has been the exception to the rule," said Sujit Canagaretna, senior fiscal analyst with the council. "The oil and gas industry has done phenomenally well and prices continue to rise, and that’s been the big difference."
Besides construction, lawmakers are spending money on health care and education, a 3 percent raise for state workers, new state trooper positions and ranchers to test for brucellosis, a much-feared cattle disease.
Local governments will get $60 million and the University of Wyoming and the state’s seven community colleges will receive nearly $60 million in endowments.
The University of Wyoming will use some of the money to improve its football stadium and build a new indoor practice facility.
State lawmakers hope the construction boom will entice young people back to the state: A new census report shows Wyoming ranks behind only West Virginia and North Dakota in the percentage decline of 15- to 44-year-olds (2.2 percent) since 2000.
"That’s a lot of bucks and that should bring people back," said state Rep. Pete Illoway.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal had asked lawmakers for the badly needed bricks-and-mortar money, saying that by taking care of such needs now, future money can be spent on more innovative projects.
State Sen. Mike Massie agreed with the strategy.
"This wasn’t necessarily a vision session and that’s OK," Massie said. "We had a lot of practical needs that we had to take care of this session and we did it."
Concerned about abrupt swings in oil and gas prices, lawmakers also socked away $250 million in permanent or short-term savings.
Rick Miller, a vice president at the University of Wyoming, found the debate over savings both unusual and refreshing.
"There have been years when the Legislature came to town with very little in terms of projected revenue beyond what was absolutely necessary to fund the status quo," he said. "Now you have a different dynamic."
Former state Rep. Marlene Simons warned that the state’s fortunes could change if mineral prices collapse.
"Hard times will come again and they’ll all wish they were more conservative," she said. "Things can change, and they can change in one heck of a hurry."
Copyright © 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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