(Arnolds Park)– A local lawmaker is blasting Governor Chet Culver’s proposed budget.
State Representative Mike May says it’s a fallacy to believe the Governor’s proposal won’t result in a tax increase. He says just the opposite is true, saying local governments will be forced to increase property taxes. He cites the four percent allowable growth in school’s spending authorities as one example. While May admits schools could definitely use the additional funding, he says it will equate to 50-thousand to 60-thousand dollars in additional property taxes.
May is also concerned over a 6.5% across-the-board budget reductions the Governor is proposing. He says it isn’t appropriate for certain agencies which the government is the only one that can properly fund and maintain, such as some human service and public safety programs.
And May says the 6.5% cut being proposed is deceptive. He says it really isn’t a cut in the sense that “we are now looking at a 100 million dollar increase over last year’s budget”.
Asked about the possibility of an increase in the state’s gasoline tax, May and State Senator David Johnson of Ocheyedan say it’s a very real possibility. Johnson says it’s likely such a bill may not be presented on the floor of either chamber until very late in the session.
Johnson and May made their comments during a legislative forum Saturday in Arnolds Park.
