The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

Last week, we began debate on the budget, after receiving a briefing from the Appropriations Committee chairman, Senator Stinner. The budget for the next year calls for an increase in the general fund expenditures of roughly $9.7 billion, growing by around 1.7% per year from previous budgets. Key provisions of the budget include substantial increases to several funds.

The most important of these increases are the two funds relating to property tax relief. The proposed budget increases the Property Tax Credit Fund by $25 million in the next fiscal year and by an additional $13 million in the...