Gov Ritter presents $320 million budget-balancing plan

[eleny]

This is from an email from my State Senator Moe Keller showing the cuts agency by agency. Some very deep cuts in programs for the most vulnerable people.

http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1239165835838&ssbinary=true

Summary of cuts
The FY09-10 balancing plan outlined calls for reductions large and small, including permanent cuts to the base:

Workforce

Eliminating nearly 270 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. Pay raises have been frozen until at least July 2011 and employees are taking four unpaid furlough days this year.
Human Services

Closing 59 beds in the children, adolescent and geriatric units at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan, eliminating 48 FTE and saving the General Fund $1 million this fiscal year and millions more in the future.
Closing 32-bed nursing facility at the Grand Junction Regional Center, eliminating 57 FTE and saving the General Fund $1.3 million this fiscal year and millions more in the future. These services can be effectively provided by non-state agencies within their communities.
Health Care

Reducing provider rates by 1.5 percent, reducing funds to Federally Qualified Health Centers by $1.5 million General Fund, and making other reductions totaling $115 million.
Corrections

Implementing an innovative pilot program that complements Gov. Ritter’s anti-recidivism initiative and was recommended by the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. The pilot will:

Accelerate the transition from parole to the community for qualifying parolees.
Utilizing the savings to provide enhanced, targeted and front-loaded supervision and services for new parolees.
Accelerate the transition from prison to parole for qualifying inmates who are already eligible for parole and whose mandatory release dates are within 180 days. These steps will save $18.9 million in the General Fund and align Colorado with half of all states now making similar changes so they can more responsibly manage limited resources.
Higher Education
Reducing the state’s investment to colleges and universities by $80.9 million. However, these reductions will be backfilled with federal Recovery Act funding.
Vehicle Fleet

Reducing the state commuter program, which allows certain state employees to use state vehicles for transportation between work and home, saving the General Fund $475,000.

Tony Grampsas Youth Services Grant Program

Eliminating $1 million in state funding.
The Joint Budget Committee will be meeting on Sept. 21 and 22, where we will have an update on actual revenues received and the quarterly projections for the current fiscal year. We are hoping to see revenues remain flat and in concert with our previous projections, instead of declines. It is possible that more cuts may need to take place in this current fiscal year.

Some good news: the 2008 budget year actually closed out with $60Million in the black, thus reducing this amount from the 2009 budget year cuts;

NREL ( the national renewable energy lab) in Golden presented to the stimulus oversite board yesterday, and reported receiving the first round of stimulus grants totaling $113Million; much of which is going out to start up companies.

[El Supremo]

1. Mark my words....

eliminating these mental health and prison funds will cost a lot more than it will save.

Now if Colorado would actually put some resources into healing and rehabilitation, it would be a different story.

[vinylsolution]

2. Ritter is doing the Republicans' work....

.... for them. It's like Bill Owens never left office.

Why not tax the rich, and save these jobs and programs?

Wouldn't that be better for all of us - and Ritter's own re-election chances?

[luckyleftyme2]

3. hi colorado

I am from Maine an we are having the heritage org. pushing us to pass tabor. I would like to hear from people in colorado reply either for or against their feelings about tabor!