MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) Expecting more economic bad news, the state employees’ union and advocacy groups urged Gov. Jim Douglas and legislators Nov. 17 to find other ways to generate revenue — instead of more budget cuts.
The Joint Fiscal Committee and the Emergency Board will meet Nov. 25 to hear from economists with their latest revenue projections. The news is not expected to be good, but state Rep. Martha Heath, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said she didn’t expect the panel would talk about funding cuts.
“There seems to be some misconception out there on some people’s parts that we will be talking about cuts tomorrow. That is not the case,’’ said Heath, D-Westford.
Several groups, including Vermont Protection and Advocacy, which works to promote the rights of the disabled, demanded that any more cuts be reviewed by the full Legislature instead of just the 10-member committee.
Instead of cutting from state programs that they say Vermonters depend on, the groups suggested tapping into the state’s rainy day fund, closing a capital gains loophole or reducing or eliminating the use of private contracts or temporary employees.
Jes Kraus, executive director of VSEA, said cutting 400 state jobs through attrition and the latest round of cuts approved in August amount to a reduction in services critical to Vermonters, including some of Vermont’s most vulnerable populations.
“These services are critical now more than ever during the current economic crisis,’’ he said.
In August, the Joint Fiscal Committee largely agreed with proposals by the Douglas administration to trim the state general fund budget for the current fiscal year by $22 million. The move followed a revenue forecast that reduced government income estimates by $24 million for the general fund and $8 million for the transportation fund.
Amy Churchill of Montpelier, who appeared at the news conference with the groups’ representatives, said she wouldn’t know what do if she loses the case manager, therapist and other help she gets from the state.
“If the services are reduced, I know that I would be in a lot of danger of sliding backward and slipping into my old ways of deep, deep depression, because I know for myself, I need things to keep me going forward,’’ said Churchill.
Others could be in the same situation, using up more of the state’s money on hospitalizations, home interventions and crisis beds across the state, she said.
Heath said the Joint Fiscal Committee can act on behalf of the Legislature on fiscal matters when the House and Senate are not in session. She said she understands the hope that any budget cuts would wait for the start of the legislative session in January, but said the downside is that the budget adjustment process takes a couple of months.
“The longer you wait, the less savings you have,’’ she said.
