Senate spending plan: $172 million

BRAD SHANNON, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Wednesday, February 27, 2002

OLYMPIA -- The state Senate overwhelmingly approved a supplemental capital budget Tuesday that backers hope will help heal the state's economy.

The measure faces some uncertainty in the House, despite a 47-2 vote in the Senate, but Gov. Gary Locke hailed it as a sorely needed economic stimulus.

The overall budget is "the most positive thing we can do this year" to boost the state's economy, said Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, the top capital-budget writer in the Senate. She predicted it could add nearly 12,000 jobs, including thousands with a Columbia River dredging project.

"This is all about jobs," Fairley said.

"There's some help that needs to happen in that area," said Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Vancouver, his party's top capital-budget voice in the Senate, in a floor speech.

Locke praised the budget for delivering cash to improve community and technical college facilities and state parks, but also said it "will create thousands of new jobs during the ongoing national economic recession."

Locke thanked Fairley and Zarelli for delivering the plan and called on the House to approve it.

Fairley said Democratic House Speaker Frank Chopp called her and said he likes the budget, which also shifts $45 million of projects out of the cash-strapped general fund that typically pays for schools and social programs.

But Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, said the Senate plan spends too much and pushes the state's debt too high in relation to its operating expenses -- to about 7 percent.

In fact, the Senate exempted the $120 million economic-stimulus portion of the package from the debt calculation, Fairley said.

Alexander, who also has criticized House Democrats' efforts to stimulate the economy with extra spending in the capital budget, said he would rather see a smaller issue of bonds to support the capital budget.

Alexander also questioned how much good the capital spending will do to fix the economy, arguing that most projects won't start this summer. But Fairley and other senators from both parties said the budget is a big boon to the state's beleaguered construction industry, which she said is down by 30 percent.

BUDGET Capital budget details

The $172 million in new spending includes money for these South Sound projects:

- $850,000 to repair the quake-damaged Deschutes Parkway in Olympia.

- $747,000 for improvements at Millersylvania State Park in Thurston County, including $402,000 for Environmental Learning Center improvements and $175,000 for wastewater treatment improvements.

- $195,000 to improve the potable water system at Lake Cushman in Mason County.

- $125,000 for budget systems improvements for the Office of Financial Management, Thurston County.

Overall budget highlights includes more than $100 million of economic-stimulus projects:

- $26.3 million for community colleges (none in South Sound).

- $7.8 million for public safety projects.

- $20.8 million for community projects under the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.

- $16.6 million for state parks renovation.

- $5 million for culvert replacements ($1 million for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, $1 million for the Department of Natural Resources and $3 million for the Department of Transportation).

- $34.7 million for Columbia River dredging and other projects.

Other appropriations will supplant or replace $45 million that had come out of operating expenses.

Brad Shannon is the political editor for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-753-1688 or bshannon@olympia.gannett.com.

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