Revised Proposal Halves State Capital Budget

Governor Walker’s office has released a new iteration of the 2016 state budget proposal.  The proposal does not year bear Walker’s endorsement, and was left behind by the administration of Sean Parnell.  The Parnell budget had a total of $219 million for capital projects.   The version released Monday cut that number to $106 million.  The only capital projects still on the list are those with some type of matching funds available and one legally-mandated school project.

One item that is no longer in the proposal is the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project.  Governor Parnell’s budget originally called for $20 million to continue studies related to the proposed dam on the Susitna River.  The Knik Arm Bridge is also missing from Monday’s budget.  The previous version did not include any state funding, but did include $42.5 million in federal funds.

A statement released alongside the proposal says that Governor Walker has not yet endorsed a budget, and that items could be added back in after scrutiny by the administration.  The Walker administration says a final budget proposal will be submitted by February 18th.  After that, it goes through the legislature before returning to Governor Walker for signature.