The 2009-11 budget increases the number of state full-time equivalent positions by 263.14 over the 2008-09 base, according to figures released today by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

LFB program supervisor Dave Loppnow said the table shows the number of positions authorized in the budget and does not account for proposed layoffs that may be imposed. "you can have a significant divergence between authorized and filled," Loppnow said.

Gov. Jim Doyle has promised layoffs of at least 1,000 state workers and potentially more.

The departments that see the biggest FTE increases are Corrections (176.35), Health Services (123.99), and Children and Families (39.4). Those seeing the largest decreases are the Office of State Employee Relations (-50) and DATCP (-17).

Most agencies are being held at their 2008-09 FTE level.

The LFB summary released today also includes breakdowns of appropriations, revenues and other information.

See the summary here.

-- By Greg Bump

The recently enacted 2009-11 budget takes less from segregated funds than the three previous budgets, according to a memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

The 2009-11 budget transfers $240 million from SEG funds, compared with $427 million in the previous two-year budget.

In 2004-05, nearly $806 million was transferred from SEG funds, according to the LFB memo.

See the memo here.

-- By Greg Bump

The 2009-11 state budget signed last week by Gov. Jim Doyle raises taxes by $1.68 billion and increases fees by more than $240 million, according to an analysis released today by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

An additional $130 million in revenue is expected due to enhanced tax and fee collection measures included in the budget, according to LFB.

See the memo here.

-- By Greg Bump

The state faces a structural deficit of more than $2 billion for the 2011-13 biennium, according to an analysis the Legislative Fiscal Bureau released today.

The structural deficit produced in the final version of the budget is less than those that would have been created in the versions of the budget proposed by the guv, JFC, both houses of the Legislature and the conference committee.

It is also the worst structural deficit the state has faced since the almost $2.9 billion going into the 2003-05 budget.

See the memo here.

LFB also released a budget amounts and comparisons memo and one on federal stimulus funds.

See the comparison memo here.

See the stimulus funds memo here.


-- By JR Ross

The property tax bill on the typical Wisconsin home will go up a little less under the budget the governor signed last week compared to the one he proposed in February.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau notes in a new memo today that the median-valued Wisconsin home can expect its property taxes to go up $93 on the bills that go out in December and an additional increase of $123 on next year's bills.

Under the budget the governor proposed, that same house would see its bill go up $91 on December's bill and another $134 next year.

See the estimate here.

LFB also did a summary of the governor's partial vetoes here.

-- By JR Ross

Gov. Jim Doyle said today that his veto that combined parts of three sentences into one was the result of a short time frame to get the budget finished before the end of the year, and was simply missed by his budget staff and the Legislative Reference Bureau.

"We had a day-and-a-half. People were working night and day in our budget office and this is all then checked over by the Legislative Reference Bureau and frankly they just missed it," Doyle said.

Doyle said the budget provision, which offered guidelines for a Dept. of Health Services study of facilities for the mentally retarded, was "not a major thing" and that the study would be done as approved in the Legislature's final budget.

"We'll do the study, the matter won't be vetoed and that will be the end of it," Doyle said.

-- By Greg Bump

Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston, released the following statement on Gov. Doyle's use of the 'Frankenstein veto' in a budget item this week:

"Clearly this was an unconstitutional veto and the law should stand as passed by the Legislature. We are currently exploring our options."

-- By Andy Szal