State agencies have asked for an additional $4 billion in funding over the next two years in order to create an additional 500 jobs.
The request for funds represents a 7.2 percent budget increase, or $2 billion more than past requests, according to an analysis released by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
More than 40 state agencies put forth the request, including the Departments of Administration, Veterans Affairs, and the Government Accountability Board.
Without the increase in funding, state agencies currently expect a budget shortfall of $3.3 billion.
However, increased spending allotments will not become a reality unless the governor and Legislature approve them as part of the next biennium budget, said University of Wisconsin political science professor Charles Franklin.
It is highly unlikely the requests will be fulfilled, especially considering the current economic position of the state, according to Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
“The agencies are not going to get what they are asking for. They never do. They ask for the sun and the stars in hopes of getting the moon,” McCabe said in an e-mail.
The requests are also unlikely to occur because of Gov.-elect Scott Walker’s emphasis on decreasing government spending and taxes, said Andrew Reschovsky, a UW economics professor.
Mark Jefferson, executive director of the Wisconsin Republican State Committee, said state agencies are going to have to learn to prioritize their money and spend less, just like the state’s citizens, under the new Republican leadership.
“In these economic times, in these budgetary times, with the nearly $3 billion deficit I think agencies are going to be hard pressed to get additional funding,” Jefferson said.
Along with Walker, the newly elected Republican Assembly and Senate majority also may not embrace this request.
Republican leadership in the Legislature has already come out against the proposed budget increases.
Graeme Zielinski, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, criticized Gov.-elect Walker for his financial management during his time as Milwaukee’s County Executive.
Zielinksi added he does not trust Walker’s judgment on fiscal matters like these.
Walker will release his first state budget proposal in February.
