Clouds are building on the horizon as Yelm enters budgeting process, in these stories last week:

1. Matt Batcheldor wrote this in The Olympian:
Cities fear loss of liquor revenue
Initiatives: State tallies losses if measures pass

“Thurston County and its cities stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state Liquor Control Board if voters pass Initiative 1100, Initiative 1005, or both this November.”

2. Andre Stepankowsky of the Longview Daily News reported
State’s revenue forecast gets gloomier; LCC anticipates cuts

“Low tax collections and the sluggish economy will cause a new state budget deficits of about $520 million through mid-2011 and $4.5 billion in the following two-year budget, the state’s top economic forecaster said Thursday [Sept. 16]…

The state is expected to bring in about $770 million less than originally projected during the current budget year, which runs through June 2011. There previously was about $250 million in reserves, leading to an immediate $520 million deficit in a general fund budget of roughly $28.5 million.”

3. The Seattle Times says:
WA braces for another drop in tax collections

“Gov. Chris Gregoire has already signed an executive order that will cut state spending across the board to help patch the hole left by lower tax collections. But officials are waiting for the new revenue numbers to determine just how deep those cuts will be.

Gregoire says she expects the cuts to be more than 7 percent. That’s on top of the Legislature’s actions earlier this year to balance the budget by cutting some spending, raiding one-time funds and raising taxes.

YELM SHOULD TAKE HEED & CUT ALL UNNECESSARY SPENDING!

Ed. Note: I was by Longmire Park last week and walked around on a day few were there. I noticed 1/2 the park toilets at the far end of the building were locked – assume to lower maintenance costs during the slower season. HMMM!