In his first supplemental finances, Gov. Bob Ferguson has laid out some salient guiding rules that ought to assist steer the Legislature away from a practice of runaway spending within the close to time period. However whereas offering a helpful roadmap for lawmakers, Ferguson additionally locations some dangerous monetary bets on Washington’s future, together with a $1 billion tapping of the state’s rainy-day fund.
The governor made clear that new taxes, such because the not too long ago proposed payroll tax, are a nonstarter for closing what he referred to as a $2.3 billion finances hole by way of June 2027. Lawmakers already handed $12 billion in new taxes earlier this yr. The most recent gap continues to be the results of ruling Democrats outspending the state’s tax revenues, at the same time as these revenues have continued to rise. Ferguson has signaled they might want to be taught to dwell inside their means — at the very least for this session.
Nevertheless, the governor additionally used his finances rollout to embrace a so-called millionaires’ tax, which might elevate $3 billion a yr beginning in 2029. However his help, he stated, was contingent on pairing a 9.9% tax on those that earn greater than $1 million a yr with reductions benefiting lower-income Washingtonians and small companies who’ve been hardest hit by the state’s excessive value of dwelling.
That’s an essential distinction. Many legislative Democrats decry a regressive state tax code however focus solely on bringing in extra money from high earners somewhat than lowering the burden on those that can least afford the taxes. The governor is correct to insist on balancing each of these sides, and he ought to proceed to demand it.
“Even confronted with a difficult finances, my north star is a stronger, extra reasonably priced Washington for each single Washingtonian,” the governor vowed.
Extra worrying, although, are some accounting techniques inside Ferguson’s finances that merely make at the moment’s pressure tomorrow’s monetary ache. The governor’s finances does not balance over a full four years — it solely bridges the hole by way of mid-2027. Ferguson’s choice is shortsighted and is the form of gimmick that earlier this yr he warned the Legislature to not pursue.
The governor additionally proposes utilizing $1 billion in funding from the rainy-day fund, leaving the state’s reserves at simply 3% of common fund revenues. The state treasurer’s workplace recommends that quantity be at the very least 10%.
That transfer might show detrimental to the state’s monetary well being, which beforehand has earned it a robust credit standing that makes borrowing cash for tasks cheaper. He should acknowledge that his daring transportation agenda, together with pumping greater than $3 billion in bond-funded fixes for roads, bridges and ferry building, is determined by these robust bond scores.
If the state’s monetary well being is at stake, the governor might have gone additional in making cuts. Conspicuously absent in Ferguson’s finances this yr are any furloughs for state employees, although he and the Senate’s finances proposal earlier this yr included them.
Elsewhere in his proposal, Ferguson has made arduous selections. In training, he properly proposes restoring or preserving important funding for packages confirmed to assist weak youth graduate from highschool, together with Treehouse’s Graduation Success Program for these within the foster system, and the Ninth Grade Success Program Initiative to assist these most prone to dropping out. But his finances proposal features a complete of $147 million in cuts; particularly worrisome is a plan to trim funding to poorer faculty districts that was designed to assist degree the taking part in area with extra prosperous ones.
Ferguson additionally suggests repealing some tax exemptions to assist plug finances holes, together with axing the flexibility of information heart house owners to keep away from gross sales taxes on alternative servers and gear. (The exemption nonetheless applies for information heart building.) The governor’s transfer makes sense at a time when the state’s electrical energy grid is more and more straining underneath demand and driving up electrical energy payments.
His finances additionally appropriately takes $30 million in Local weather Dedication Act {dollars} to high up the state pure assets division’s nascent efforts to make forests more resilient in the face of wildfire. However he can even use $569 million from these {dollars}, raised in carbon auctions, to fund the working households tax credit score.
Ferguson notes the landmark regulation, handed by the Legislature in 2023, lists the tax credit score as an appropriate use of the {dollars} paid by the state’s greatest emitters. However the governor’s impetus is opportunism in a time of finances stress. The greater than 6 in 10 voters who backed conserving the Local weather Dedication Act in a 2024 initiative set an expectation for these funds — one the governor dangers undermining.
Whereas state lawmakers can quibble on the main points over the course of the 60-day legislative session — and they need to — the governor has, general, set the tone and displayed steering legislators must do the work. All through the session, he also needs to stay a visual presence in Olympia. The finances will as soon as once more take heart stage when the Legislature convenes Jan. 12.
