From Bluegrass Politics Blog is Beth Musgrave's story on the implentation of budget cuts. AOC and legislature not under the Gov's control but nonetheless to share in the belt tightening. Their last belt tightening with the 44 person cuts turned out to be a faux cut as most were hired back in other positions with some given raises.
FRANKFORT — The state’s budget director warned several agencies Friday to plan for a possible six percent spending cut in coming months. In letters to agencies that have already been slashed over the past 18 months, State Budget Director Mary Lassiter said more cuts may be needed to resolve a $160 million to $170 million shortfall this fiscal year, which began July 1. In the letters, Lassiter asks agencies to show how a possible six percent cut would impact programs, services and their workforce. Those plans are due to her office by Nov. 30. The letters indicated that several state agencies will be exempt from cuts, as they were in previous budget reductions. Those groups included Kentucky Education Television, public universities, the main funding formula for K-12 schools, prosecutors, public defenders, Medicaid and mental health services. Kerri Richardson, a spokeswoman for Beshear, cautioned that Beshear’s office was collecting the data for planning purposes and no final decision has been made.
Here's another story by Beth Musgrave highlighting the dire straits out state's finances are in; this time relative to the prison system:
FRANKFORT -- A new report by a state legislative group shows that Kentucky's prison population and the amount spent to house criminals has jumped by about half in the past 10 years. Despite those increases, the report says Kentucky's spending for prisons is on par with many states with similar prison populations. The study was compiled by staff of the legislature's Program Review and Investigations Committee. The state's rising prison population has been the subject of other reports. In 2008, a Pew Center on the States report showed that Kentucky's prison population was growing faster than other states. Cindy Upton, a staffer with the Program Review and Investigations Committee, told the legislative committee Thursday that from fiscal year 2000 to fiscal year 2009 -- a span of about 10 years -- the average number of inmates increased by almost 42 percent and annual costs increased by more than 53 percent. On average, the state housed 21,473 inmates in 2009, compared to 15,164 in 2000. Kentucky spent $294 million to incarcerate prisoners in 2000. In 2009, the cost was $451 million.
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