LEGISLATURE FACING STATE'S FINANCIAL CRUNCH

(03/09/2004)

West Virginia, not unlike many other states, has a financial crisis. The state's tax collections are falling short, likely linked to permanently losing thousands of jobs. A special audit is predicting a $1.4 billion budget shortfall during the next six years. After moving several bills forward that would require new taxpayer cash, the legislature is showing some restraint. All pay raises, including those for judges and teachers, and changes to state pension funds have been taken off the table this year by the Senate. The bill to increase the state school superintendent's salary to $200,000 is apparently dead, although investigations continue into the $300,000 salary of a Wyoming County senior citizen director. Most senior directors make about $35,000 plus, if two of the highest paid executives are deleted from the average. Wyoming's director hired their State Senator Billy Ray Bailey for $25,000, who also asked about $300,000 be given to the center from the Budget Digest. A Senate Democratic Party caucus said Monday that it would be financially irresponsible to give any pay raises to teachers or state employees, given dire projections of budget shortfalls. Senator Earl Ray Tomblin said their is a need to pay down the more than $5 billion in unfunded future liabilities in state teachers' and public employees' retirement funds. It is unlikely a bill to lower the minimum retirement age for State Police officers from 55 to 52 will pass.

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