Leaner Times Ahead Will Require Leadership

On-paper shortfalls should be used as an opportunity to develop budgets that include 10%-20% reductions in ongoing spending

It is no secret that many conservatives have been worried about the path the state has been on fiscal – starting as far back as 2009, it was already obvious that an unsustainable course was being paved when it came to state spending – it was just a matter of when it would become clear to the world.

The 2015-17 budget-cycle has only just begun, but in the first four months there is already a $111 million shortfall compared to the previously reduced revenue projections. With the economic consensus that commodity prices will stay depressed for some time to come, if this trend continues into next summer, there may be some tough choices that need to be made prior to the 2017 legislative session.