Governor Mike Dunleavy signed the Fiscal Year 2021 budget into law on Monday, April 6, according to an April 7 press release from the governor's office. The budget, as enacted "maintains spending across various programs and components at a level consistent with FY 2020, and funds an incomplete Permanent Fund Dividend." In short, the approved budget has total revenues set at about $9.07 billion and expenses at about $10.03 billion. While adopting this budget, the governor also issued some line-item vetoes to some programs. Jeff Turner, deputy director of communications for the governor's office, said that there was a total of $261 million in line item vetoes. The majority of these vetoes came from undesignated general funds, $210 million, and the remaining $51 million was cut from designated general funds.
In Wrangell, funding has been eliminated for the local Department of Fish and Game Office, as well as for a local OCS caseworker. The proposed elimination of Wrangell's fish and game office, first announced back in December of 2019, drew wide criticism from community members and local officials. It was part of an effort by the department to cut their budget by roughly 15 percent. According to a list of line item vetoes on the Office of Management and Budget's website, the closure of this office saves the state about $66,000.
"The Alaska Department of Fish and Game determined that the fisheries managed out of the Wrangell office could also be managed out of its larger Petersburg office with no adverse impact on the fisheries," Turner wrote in an email to the Sentinel. "The departmental reorganization will require moving the Assistant Area Management Biologist from Wrangell to Petersburg."
Legislators also tried to set aside funding for a part-time OCS caseworker for Wrangell, in the amount of roughly $91,000. Turner said that Wrangell's OCS office closed back in 2008. Local cases have been handled by workers in Petersburg. Calls for a local worker were also heard by community members during the state's budgeting process this year, but funding for the item has now been vetoed.
"Due to budget pressures, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services determined it needed to prioritize services in other areas of the state with disproportionately larger child protection caseloads," Turner said. "Based on its determination, the budget increase was vetoed."
More information about the FY 2021 budget can be found online at the OMB website, http://www.omb.alaska.gov.
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