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Show m BuflQGS lip 11 The Utah Foundation reported that the State Budget Bud-get was up 11 percent for next year. STATE expenditures totaling to-taling $914.5 million were recommended by the Governor Gover-nor in his proposed budget for the 197t77 fiscal year. This was reported by Utah Foundation, Foun-dation, the private research organization in their analysis of the budget presented Monday Mon-day by the Governor to the W76 Utah Budget Session. Included in the 1976-77 budget bud-get total are $909.1 million for regular expenditures from current revenues plus $5.4 million from surplus. THE PROPOSED budget of $909 million from current revenues is approximately $87 million, or 11 percent greater than estimated expenditures for 1975-76 and nearly $245 million or 37 percent greater than the expenditure total in the 1974-75 fiscal year. According to the Foundation Founda-tion analysts approximately 48.8 percent of the 1976-77 state budget will go for education. Total expenditures for education will increase by $51.6 million, or 13.2 percent next year under the Governor's Gover-nor's budget. Following is a breakdown of major areas of expenditure in 1975-76 and 1976-77 (in millions of dollars). EXPENDITURE, Authorized Author-ized 1975-76, and recommended recom-mended 1976-77: Public Pub-lic Schools, $247.2, $283.6; higher education, $144.7, $160.0; total education. $392.0, $443.6; social services. $155.2; $172.6; transportation, $131.5; $161.6; general government, $77.6, $74.1; natural resources. $33.2, $21.9; public safety, $19 0. $21.4; debt service, ser-vice, $9.6; $9.5; development service. $3.8, $4.6; total $821.9. $909.1. Although the Governor's budget contemplates no increase in state taxes, the Foundation report notes that Utah's unemployment tax paid by employers will automatically au-tomatically rise this year under the provisions of existing exist-ing law. THE GOVERNOR'S budget recommends that the sales tax be eliminated on prescription drugs, among the other important recommendations recom-mendations included in the Governor's budget are the following: e-a State support of the public schools program will be raised by the budget from $621 to $684 per weighted pupil unit, an increase of about 10.1 percent. In addition, addi-tion, it was proposed that categorical ca-tegorical grants be increased and a new categorical item of $3.5 million be made to help reduce class size. THE GOVERNOR also suggested sug-gested the school program in future years be tied to changes in the consumer's price index. The increase in the index between 1974 and 1976 amounted to 7.8 percent. As noted, the Governor recommended an increase of about 10 percent in the basic school program for next year. . Recommended appropriation appropria-tion of state funds for higher , education be set at $99.6 million for next year, an increase of 13.1 percent over the amount provided during the current (1975-76) fiscal year. . STATE appropriations recommended for social services ser-vices would be raised by approximately 17 percent from $64.2 million in 1975-76 to $75.1 million in 1976-77. This larger than average increase for social services is explained by the fact that the State found it necessary to replace some terminated or reduced Federal grants with state dollars. Another transfer of $6 million from general fund surplus to the Highway Fund is proposed. Two special ! transfers totaling $7.1 million were made by the 1975 Legislature and the 1975 J Special Session. The 1976-77 (Budget also recommends that $1 million be appropriated from general fund surplus to 9 implement a safe walkway program, I . BECAUSE OF economic , uncertainty the Governor , recommends that $5 million !of the ending surplus be earned forward in the 1976-77 fiscal year as an uncommitted reserve. If the Legislature elects not to carry forward such a reserve, he recom-I recom-I mends that the $5 million be used to provide another one-, one-, time credit against the in- come lax. t . Remaing surplus funds should be used for other one- time expenditure items such ' as stale building projects. Provo-Jordan Parkway. municipal water loans, water resource development, etc. |