Governor Sam Brownback isn’t giving details on the Kansas budget plan he’ll present to lawmakers next month, but he has offered a few hints and suggestions on what the state should do.
Lawmakers will have to close budget gaps in the current and coming fiscal year.
Brownback says his plan will include both cuts and revenue to balance the budget. He also says Kansas will need both short- and long-term fixes to get the state out of the red.
“I think you’re going to need a mixture of both, because any sort of revenues that people would put forward, or any sort of cuts that people would put forward, they have time factors that they take to put in place,” says Brownback.
Short-term fixes include moves like shifting money from the highway fund or other areas. Long-term fixes would include things like structural budget cuts and tax increases.
While he’s not detailing the revenue options he’ll consider, he defending the state's tax cuts. Some Kansas lawmakers want to reconsider bills that slashed income tax rates. Brownback says the policies help grown small businesses. Some of Brownback’s critics say the tax cuts have led to repeated budget problems.