Budget experts presenting at Thursday’s Juneau Chamber of Commerce luncheon will shed light on Gov. Bill Walker’s fiscal plan. Pat Pitney, the State Budget Director with the Office of Management & Budget, will give a presentation titled “Governor Walker’s Fiscal Plan Overview,” at this week’s chamber luncheon.
The catered lunch takes place at the Hangar on the Wharf Ballroom and costs $20 for Chamber of Commerce members and $25 for the public. Doors open at 11:30 a.m; the program begins at noon. RSVP is required to attend.
Gov. Walker has proposed what he calls the “New Sustainable Alaska Plan” to help close the state’s multi-billion dollar budget gap. The plan calls for four measures used in combination, according to the governor’s website: spending reductions, sustainable use of Permanent Fund earnings, modest tax increases, and oil and gas tax credit reform.
The state is taking nearly $10,000,000 from savings every day to balance the budget, according to Gov. Walker’s website, and has cut the state budget by 44 percent over the last four years.
“There are those who say we cannot solve our entire fiscal problem this year,” Gov. Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott wrote in a Sunday editorial for the Empire. “… There is simply no perfect solution. Continued delay results in even worse consequences. Without a comprehensive solution this year, we will see the recession deepen.”
