Today's Feature
Swearing
In.
The City Council will hold
their regular meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. in
City Hall. The agenda includes the swearing in of
Council members. Those to be sworn in by City
Clerk Lynn Campbell are First Ward, Claude
Newport; First Ward unexpired term, Dave Woods;
Second Ward, Mike Harris; Third Ward, Jackie
Boyer; Fourth Ward, Bill Johnson and Fifth Ward,
Don Stearnes. The Mayor will also appoint Council
members to their respective committees and name
those to serve as board liaisons.
Also on the agenda is an
ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into
contract with Alumbaugh Construction Company in
the amount of $318,000 for the expansion and
renovation of the Over Sixty Center. The Council
bill has an emergency clause, the first and
second reading is scheduled to take place this
evening.
City Administrator Tom Short
stated that building materials are on the rise
and the 30 day guarantee bids were submitted
March 11th. He said Alumbaugh Construction gave
the City a two day extension on their bid.
Good Budget
News That Is Good for Education.
news release
There were two significant
hurdles to resolving the budget debate last year.
First and foremost was the difference between the
philosophies of the Governor and the legislature
regarding taxes. Governor Holden believed that
state government needed more taxes from citizens
to fund needed programs. The lawmakers believed
that asking Missourians to give more when they
had less would cripple the economy today and for
years to come.
The second problem was the
differing estimates of the revenues coming in to
the state coffers. Governor Holden originally
projected that the budget for FY 2004 had a
deficit of $1 billion. Our numbers differed from
the Governor, and he eventually changed his
estimate. He lowered the "imbalance"
first to $700 million, then to $600 million, down
to $500 million, and his number currently stands
at $400 million. Based on the most recent revenue
collections, we are now projected to finish the
year $100 million on the positive side. The
improving economy is giving us the balanced
budget we projected.
Even though we gave him a
balanced budget, the Governor was not as
optimistic and still chose to withhold $240
million. I was disappointed to find out that $190
million of those withholds came out of the
elementary and secondary education budget, when
he could have taken it from billions of dollars
in discretionary spending.
We in the legislature knew this
action by the Governor was unnecessary. While in
all fairness to Governor Holden, budget estimates
are sometimes akin to weather forecasting. We
were confident that the budget we sent to the
Governor was balanced and that Holden’s
revenue projections were too bleak. It turns out
we were right.
It is clear now that the budget
we sent and he signed, after much costly delay
last year, was balanced after all. Now the
question remains why the Governor has not
released the remaining withholdings for
education. The budget is balanced without the
withholds. Hopefully, Governor Holden will soon
see fit to restore the funding to Missouri’s
schools.
While this news does not mean
our financial woes for the recent future are
gone, it does give us hope. It proves that
forcing government to live within its means
works. It proves that letting Missourians keep
and spend the money they earn is the best way to
fix the economy. It proves that we are on the
right track.
Another piece of information I
received this week reassured me that things are
looking good for the future of Missouri. The
Department of Revenue is showing a 5.22 percent
increase in revenue through the end of March,
which means we have even more money in the budget
than anyone, including us, projected. As a result
of this economic growth, we were able to put an
additional $100 million in elementary and
secondary education funding. We kept our promise
to make education a priority, and chose to send
this money directly to our schools.
It is very encouraging to see
such an increase in education funding without tax
increases. This budget will not only restore the
Governor’s withholdings to education, but it
also provides an additional $144 million more
than the current appropriation. That is a $260
million increase over what education is currently
receiving when you consider the withholds. This
was done through a better economy and fiscal
responsibility, not increasing taxes.
One more part of the budget I
want to point out is the welfare reforms we
passed last week that will slow the rapid growth
that Medicaid has experienced over the past few
years. Missouri currently retains nearly 1
million people on Medicaid and is adding 51,000
each year, which breaks down to 5,500 each month
and 140 people every day. The current budget puts
$1.24 billion more in social services than in
education, but we made the choice last week to
increase education funding instead of growing
social services. It is these decisions, along
with an improving economy, that are allowing us
to lead Missouri down the right road.
As always, please do not
hesitate to contact me or my legislative
assistant, Tracey Joyce, with questions or
comments at my Capitol office, Missouri House of
Representatives, State Capitol, 201 West Capitol
Avenue, Jefferson City, MO 65101-6806. Tele:
573-751-7082. Fax 573-526-9847
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