More than two months ago, Gov. Mike Dunleavy told legislators he would introduce a state sales tax as part of a long-term, budget-balancing fiscal plan. Something is needed to end the annual budget battles that have dominated Alaska politics for the past three decades. A sales tax is not the best option, but at least the governor appeared ready to participate.
However, he never introduced the bill, nor did he ever say why he failed to do what he said he would do.
Later that same month, the governor said he would likely call lawmakers into special session this fall to put together and adopt a long-term fiscal plan, addressing state spending and revenues.
“I feel, personally, we are closer to the decision time in terms of putting together a comprehensive fiscal plan,” Dunleavy said at an April 27 news conference. “What I’ve told folks is I’m willing to entertain almost anything to get to where we have to be.”
But yet again, he shared no pieces of that plan, nothing on paper about getting “to where we have to be.” Maybe he is entertaining some ideas, but it sure sounds like another song and dance to tiptoe around hard decisions.
Then, last week, he repeated the words “long-term, sustainable fiscal plan.” He said he looks forward to working with legislators and Alaskans to solve the recurring budget dilemma, the same day he vetoed one half of the Legislature’s increase in state funding for public schools, along with vetoes to maintenance projects at schools and university facilities, Head Start, child care and multiple other programs.
That makes three times since April that he has said he wants a “long-term fiscal plan.” Maybe if he clicked his heels together and talked with the Wizard of Oz, he could get a proclamation or something to make it happen. But absent any of that, it will take leadership, actual legislative proposals and a lot of homework. It will take sticking out his political neck instead of burying it in the warm sand of always campaigning for a larger Permanent Fund dividend.
The governor needs to do his job and tell Alaskans how he proposes to pay for public services in the years ahead, other than hoping for high oil prices to fill the state treasury. And he needs to explicitly explain how he proposes to pay for the dividend, which comes from the same checking account as school funding, road repairs and everything else in the budget.
Dunleavy, who did not take any questions in announcing his budget vetoes, had his spokesperson issue a statement: “A long-term stable fiscal plan is needed to protect core state services like education and public safety.”
How many times can he say Alaska needs a fiscal plan before he actually proposes one?
— Wrangell Sentinel
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