government budgets

The Vermilion Parish Police Jury made a huge step in its journey of approving the 2010 budget Thursday night. With sales tax and oil royalty revenue falling over the past year, and expectations of it not rising in the near future, the Jury is faced with the task of finding cuts in the $42 million proposed budget. The proposed budget is $2.8 million more than what the Police Jury expects to take in for the 2010 fiscal year.  

The National Strategy Office has begun a review of the government income compensation program for farmers as part of efforts to reduce the fiscal 2010 budget. On Wednesday, the office began looking over policies the Democratic Party of Japan pledged to implement from fiscal 2010 in its House of Representatives election manifesto, which includes the income compensation program. Details of the review of the compensation program have yet to be fleshed out, but the focal point will be establishing a limit  

Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law $334 million in budget reductions on Friday, after lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the cuts during an emergency session in which there was little disagreement over how to close the largest budget gap in recent memory. The plan hinges on across-the-board cuts to most state-agency budgets of 2.5 percent this fiscal year and 5 percent next year, although the details of what gets cut was left up to the individual agencies. State officials, lawmakers, and rank-and-file st

I don't know if this is the easy way out   -Arnie Stuthman

 

The Kearney school board amended this year's budget and discussed potential budget woes for next fiscal year during a regular meeting Thursday, Nov. 19, at Dogwood Elementary School. Randy Smith, assistant superintendent of finance, told the Board of Education the budget adjustments are a result of factoring in stimulus money and moving some other funds around because of the stimulus money. Smith said he anticipates Kearney R-1 School District to receive $740,000 of stimulus money for special educatio  

BIG carmakers and drug and technology firms devote the most cash to research and development, according to the European Commission's latest tally. These types of business rely on developing new products or constantly updating old ones to compete for customers. Toyota was the world's leading R&D spender in 2008.  

A building boom at Indiana colleges is causing concern for Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration as it tries to shore up the state's finances. The state has approved more than $1 billion in university projects in the last 18 months. The spending is a sharp contrast to universities nationally, which have seen construction spending drop from more than $15 billion in 2006 to $13.3 billion last year.

The question is: Are we putting an inordinate amount of resources into construction at the expense of instruction?   -Chris Ruhl

 

Gov. John Baldacci said nearly every department in state government will see further cuts in their programs. In his weekly radio address Saturday, the governor said, "It isn't pretty, but it is necessary." Baldacci on Friday announced $63 million in spending holdbacks to reflect plunging revenues.  

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty put the kibosh Friday on any hopes among interest groups that Ottawa would contemplate major new spending plans in next year's budget, and indicated he is prepared to scale back the size of the federal bureaucracy to balance the books. When this cutting back will occur remains uncertain; Mr. Flaherty said he requires evidence of a "firm" economy recovery, which he suggested is not in the offing as of now. "Even with some early positive signs, there is still no evidence of

Budget 2010 will not be a usual budget   -Jim Flaherty

 

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue University officials are looking for long-term ways to save money because the school could be $70 million short over the next two-year budget cycle. Budgets are already set for this fiscal year and the next. But Purdue says it could be $70 million short over the next biennium if state appropriations stay flat and there is no tuition increase.