The budget process

I am writing to respond to an editorial (BDN, April 1) titled, “Public’s Legislature,” which could easily give the public the perception that the budget process used during this legislative session in some way limited the public’s input and voice.

This assertion is at best a misrepresentation of the facts.

The budget the Legislature just passed is the product of hundreds of hours of committee hearings. The budget itself was modeled around the public input that was received. One could easily state that the final budget document is the direct result of those public hearings. There was as much public debate on this budget as there was on past budgets.

The original budget sent to the Appropriations Committee by the governor was only a starting point. We then heard from the public, and their voices were loud and clear. They wanted more money for education, an end to the financial gimmicks of the past, ankd increased property tax relief, including full funding of the Tree Growth Tax, Municipal Revenue Sharing, and the Teacher Retirement System. This budget delivers on all of these issues.

To state, as the Bangor Daily News as done repeatedly, that the public has been excluded from the budget process is false. This budget is built upon the public input that was received over a 12-week period. Issues such as the Medical Education Access Program, the Maine Hospice Council, and the magnet school were all put back into the budget as a result of testimony at public hearings. This year’s budget is a reflection of the priorities of Maine people. It should have been reported as such. Rep. George J. Kerr Chairman, Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs Augusta