I had a great evening spent with the membership of the Plumbing Association of Central Kansas (P.A.C.K.) on Thursday of last week. The organization, which has been in existence for over 100 years in the Wichita area, was holding its annual meeting and I was invited to be the keynote speaker. This organization has undergone various name changes and the current one is 7 years old. The event was well attended by over 200 members and their spouses.
This is a professional organization that represents area plumbers and provides continuing education opportunities, with field training and classroom topics. They have monthly meetings to inform the membership of changes in code or rules and of course they are quite interested in what the Kansas Legislature is proposing as well.
I provided a short presentation that was followed by a question and answer period. We discussed past legislation that I had participated with enacting and we discussed the current state of pending legislation and I presented a brief budget analysis.
I remind you that if you have a group large or small that would like to invite me for a presentation on the legislative process or to discuss recent or proposed law changes, I will make myself available.
It is with much disappointment that I must inform you that tax revenues for the month of May has fallen a staggering $103 million short of the consensus revenue estimates made just 6 weeks ago. If you will recall, we were slightly above the estimates for the month of April and that was factored in the final ending balance as part of the efforts to get to the proposed $17,000 ending balance of FY 2009.
Almost the entire shortfall was in the individual income tax receipts. A combination of economic factors led to significant tax refunds, some of which the state doesn’t have the funds to pay at this point. The Governor’s office has announced that it will stop paying tax refunds until revenue becomes available. Payments to school districts will also be delayed.
To put things in perspective, we are just over 25 days out from the end of the session and our budget is already $200 million upside down for 2010. The Governor is not in a position to pass a tax increases without legislative enactment, thus the $200 million shortfall will likely have to be made with cuts.
His public comments are that he will not be shy in using his authority to make cuts in the off-session. If made across the board, a $208 million set of cuts would equate to about 5% in additional agency budget reductions. This would be the equivalent of $200.00 on the base aid per pupil for K-12 education. Our total cut in FY 2010 was approximately $120.00. We can expect further cuts for public safety, the physically and developmentally disabled and other SRS groups.
The following is the proposed budget profiles are provided for your review.
FY 2009 Budget is now -$31.5 Million (FY 09 ends June 30th).
FY 2010 Budget is now -$208 Million
FY 2011 Budget is now -$880 Million
FY 2012 Budget is now -$1 Billion.
Why the big jump between 2010 and 2011-12? Good question! The short answer is that the one-time federal stimulus money goes away and the state is left to make up the shortfalls, because a condition of the stimulus payments were that the states had to continue the programs that were funded by the feds under the stimulus plan. Scary isn’t it? I would love to hear your thoughts on what do we do to make up the shortfall.
Its walleye time in Kansas! May and June are the two best months for catching walleye. After spawning in late March, the walleye disappear for several weeks, but when the water temperatures reach the 60’s they move up onto the shallow mud flats to feed and replenish their strength. They feed on larval forms of various insects, and a jig-and-night crawler is one of the best baits.
Successful night crawler hunting is a matter of timing since a good rainstorm makes them easy pickings for those not afraid of a little backache. You do not have to travel far, you’ve probably seen them on your driveway or sidewalk, so your front yard just might be a good hunting spot. However, if your lawn has been treated regularly with chemicals chances are there will not be any night crawlers.
All is not lost, though as city parks and vacant lots can be great places for catching the squirming worms. Older parts of town with big, towering trees and plenty of leaf litter are excellent places to catch the night crawler. Good Luck!
I consider it an honor and privilege to be your representative in Topeka. If I can be of help please contact me at my local address. My Topeka office, phones, and e-mail are all closed until January 2010. Thanks, John.
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