Administrators at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University must cut nearly 11 million dollars in spending between now and June 30th. Wednesday night, Republicans in the Iowa Senate sent the governor a package of state budget cuts to avoid a deficit caused by lower-than-expected state tax revenue. Democrats like Senator Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City railed against the cuts at the two public universities.
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Senator Rick Bertrand, a Republican from Sioux City, responded.
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Bertrand says with tax collections falling below expectations, lawmakers have to “reel back” the state budget. The budget-cutting package outlines nearly 25-million dollars in spending reductions to the universities as well as the Department of Human Services, courts, prisons and other state agencies. Another 10-million dollars in unspent economic development awards is being used to cover the state budget shortfall and create a “cushion” in the bottom line in case state taxes fall farther below predictions.
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