DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday signed a $25 billion state budget for the upcoming fiscal year that begins in July.
The budget reflects a compromise between the governor’s office, both chambers of the Legislature and budget writers, who often had to temper expectations facing spending constraints.
In the end, the budget received bipartisan approval in both the House and Senate, despite early complaints by Senate Democrats who felt that they were left out of the process in the Republican-controlled chamber.
“In a lot of states, the partisanship is so divisive, and here, where there are still very deep differences in values and priorities, the ability of these individuals to work together really does help to define Colorado,” Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said at a signing ceremony with legislative leaders and budget writers.
The governor expressed few concerns with the end result, pointing out that he chose not to veto any individual components of the budget.
Lawmakers as a whole would have liked to see more spending to restore cuts to K-12 education, though lawmakers were able to apply $25 million toward the so-called “negative factor.”
“We did have to make some really tough decisions,” said Rep. Millie Hamner, D-Dillon, one of the budget writers.
Lawmakers also had to compromise on severance-tax dollars, which are used for local-impact grants and wildlife conservation stemming from gas and oil taxes. The Legislature cut $20 million from the fund, which was actually an improvement from the $47 million requested by the governor.
“This budget is a large, complex document. It’s a philosophical statement of where the state is,” Hickenlooper said. “The parts that we recommended that they changed, that was the result of a lot of different people expressing their opinions and persuading each other.”
More than $9.5 billion of the proposed budget will come out of the General Fund, the all-purpose fund that comes from tax revenue. In total, the overall proposal reflects about $1.6 billion more than the current fiscal year, or a 6.6 percent increase.
It sets aside $245 million for expected refunds to taxpayers as a result of a budget surplus, thanks to an improving economy and constitutional requirements. Another $128 million was secured for transportation projects.
“This budget crafts a careful balance between the public needs that accompany a growing economy and the fiscal prudence ahead of looming challenges caused by our conflicting constitutional provisions,” Hickenlooper said.
pmarcus@durangoherald.com