Is Washington State going to get its very own Catfood Commission?

[eridani]

From a subscriber to the conservative Washington Policy Center's newsletter, just to keep track of what they're up This week's newsletter says that WA State too will soon have a deficit commission.

Conservatives may win by destroying government here too. Here's what the WPC newsletter says:
Governor Invites WPC's Jason Mercier to Join Her Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Panel; State Agencies Told to Use WPC Recommendations to Guide Budgeting
Governor Gregoire has invited Jason Mercier, Director of WPC's Center for Government Reform, to join her new fiscal responsibility and reform panel that she's assembling as she begins building her state budget proposal for next year (read the invite letter here). http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/Centers/government/PDF/Mercier_Panel_Invitation.pdf
In her request, the governor told Jason "As we continue in our budget development process, I foresee your role as challenging budget and agency staff to re-think which services we provide and how we provide them."
The panel will travel to different locations in the state throughout the summer to discuss the state's budget challenges with citizens in light of recent deficits and the $3+ billion deficit the state will face next year.

Another indication that WPC's budget reform recommendations are having an impact arose last week when the state's Office of Financial Management released the 2011-13 budget instructions to help agencies put together their budget requests. Included in the guidelines were some core questions each agency should use to scrutinize service delivery:

http://washingtonpolicyblog.typepad.com/washington_policy_center_/2010/06/ofm-asks-agencies-are-your-activies-core-services-can-they-be-contracted.html

• Is the activity a core service? (Challenge this assumption thoroughly.)
• Does state government have to perform the activity, or can it be provided by means other than state government?
• Can the activity be eliminated or delayed in recessionary times?
• Are there more cost-effective, efficient ways to do the activity? Why not?
• Does the activity need to be paid for with state funds? Should user fees be charged or raised?
• Are there federal funds or other fund sources available to support this activity?
• Can the activity be the subject of a performance contract?
• Can the activity be the subject of a performance incentive?
These are nearly identical to the questions WPC recommended the state use to evaluate each proposed activity and item in the budget.

In 2009 and 2010, in what amounted to little more than a game of fiscal "kick the can," lawmakers adopted budgets they knew would result in future deficits. Instead of genuine, sustainable reform they raised taxes and trimmed small amounts of spending from the edges without addressing the underlying structural policy problems driving the deficits. When the legislature convenes next January, they'll have to deal with another $3+ billion deficit. That the governor and state budget officials have reached out to Washington Policy Center for help is an encouraging sign that real budget reform could happen in Washington.