State could eliminate hundreds of jobs under latest proposed cuts

[TexasTowelie]

The state of Montana could see hundreds of government jobs eliminated, safety in jails and prisons diminished, and even a reduction in the state’s ability to collect the taxes that keep it operating under plans to cut spending because of lower-than-projected revenue.

Documents submitted by state agencies and released Friday detail the 10 percent budget cuts called for by Gov. Steve Bullock’s office in an effort to trim at least $226 million in state spending over the next two years.

The cuts are necessary because of lower-than-expected state revenues due to low income tax collections, which are down about $70 million from what was projected. There has also been a reduction in tax revenue from natural resource extraction, and the state is experiencing high expenses fighting wildfires that have torched more than 1 million acres so far this summer, with several major fires still burning.

Montana’s Constitution does not allow the state to operate in the red and gives the governor authority to make mid-year reductions. The state has to have an ending fund balance, or cash in the bank, of $143 million at the end of fiscal year 2019.

Read more: http://helenair.com/news/local/state-could-eliminate-hundreds-of-jobs-under-latest-proposed-cuts/article_8c5900d9-1063-56b2-97d4-aeea2e9d79b4.html