This weekend members of the House Finance Committee will be in Kenai for a public hearing on the state budget. Kenai-Soldotna Republican Rep. Gary Knopp will be among the legislators attending, including Anchorage Republican Jennifer Johnston and Speaker Bryce Edgmon of Dillingham.
“Speaker Edgmon will be with us. He produced some slide shows on this. But we want to get out to the public and have a conversation about the fiscal reality, the impacts," Knopp said. "And one of the reasons is because much of the governor's proposal is in cost shifting to municipalities. And so to maintain a level of services from damage it does it's very important for people to understand that, you know. So because so much of the entire budget shifts direct costs to boroughs and municipalities and taxpayers. I want people to fully understand the impacts of that.”
Knopp said he and his colleagues will be “rolling out” the state’s fiscal situation vis-a-vis revenue versus expenses, talking about options for budgeting, and taking public testimony.
"(It's) just a massive sweeping overhaul of how we conduct business," he said. "It’s good to get out and have these face to face conversations.”
The meeting is scheduled for three hours Saturday evening, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Soldotna Sports Center.
Meanwhile, Gov. Dunleavy will be holding his own budget meeting on Monday in Kenai at the Cannery Lodge starting at 6 p.m.
