BUDGET DIGEST REDUCED PORK

(06/30/2004)

The legislature's Budget Digest was approved yesterday. This year's digest is a "reduced pork diet." A earlier press release says allocations from the Budget Digest is limited to $160,000 for each elected official, but that depends. There was no directive in sharing the cash equally with counties. The Digest is down to $23 million from a record $39 million in 1997-98. Calhoun, Gilmer, Clay delegate Bill Stemple will likely be releasing his list of allocations this week. Rural, less populated counties generally got their minimum, with some exceptions. Some use the money just to keep things going. This year's digest did not have millions to build a community college or welcome centers, but nonetheless favorite projects got funded. Southern West Virginia Community College got $500,000, where Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin's wife is president. The Wyoming County Council on Aging, where the director paid himself nearly a half-million dollars and was the recipient of $415,000 in digest funds in the past five years, got only $50,000 in the new digest. Hampshire County schools, recipients of $1.1 million in digest funds last year, got $140,000 in the new digest. Those allocations have been called "Mezz Money," likely obtained by Delegate Jerry Mezzatesta, chairperson of the House Education Committee and employee of the Hampshire Board of Education. Most of the usual fairs and festivals got the same amount they received last year.

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