THE LEGISLATURE’S Joint Budget Committee seems to want to spend money by the bucketfuls.

Pueblo Chieftain Editorial

3/29/07

      Under the JBC’s preliminary budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, the state’s payroll would expand by 1,344 employees. That would include 113 probation officer jobs.

      The budget also includes an across-the-board pay raise of 3.7 percent. The JBC members seem to be feeling fat and sassy over the amount of revenue that’s pouring into state coffers as a result of Referendum C, the five-year time-out from the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

      Voters approved Referendum C in 2005 which allows the state government to retain - and spend - excess revenues which otherwise would have been returned to taxpayers under TABOR. The amount of money available to state government is much higher than had been predicted when the Ref C campaign was on.

      Proponents of Ref C said its passage would allow the state budget to grow by an extra $3.7 billion over five years. Now, however, it appears the revenues will top $6 billion or even $7 billion extra over that period, not an inconsequential sum, to say the least.

      But caution is advised. There is no guarantee the economy won’t tail off in the future, meaning that another round of layoffs will be required.

      Besides, the state bureaucracy has grown by leaps and bounds over the past four decades. Surely there can be job cuts there that no one outside government would notice.

      Furthermore, it’s important that the Legislature fill the Rainy Day Fund as quickly as possible.

      Let’s be careful and avoid a spending binge.