EDITORIAL: The legislative budget wars begin in Carson City

The budget battle shaping up in Carson City promises to be a real humdinger, with GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo’s veto pen standing in the way of a Democratic Legislature with a penchant for spending other people’s money. Days into the session, the governor hasn’t helped himself with a couple of unforced errors.

Last month, Gov. Lombardo submitted his spending blueprint to lawmakers, a $12.7 billion, two-year budget that boosts spending by a generous 10 percent. But it didn’t take long for Democrats, who control both legislative houses in Carson City, to note that the math didn’t compute. Revenues were $335 million short. The state Constitution mandates a balanced budget.

Democratic leaders seized the opportunity to cast aspersions on the competence of the governor and his team. “I have been here for a short bit,” Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro said, “and I cannot recall a time where the governor sent the Legislature a budget that just simply didn’t add up.”

Gov. Lombardo acknowledged the unforced error and vowed to make fixes to stem the red ink. On Wednesday, he offered an amended budget plan to fill the hole. At a hearing on Wednesday, the governor’s chief of staff, Ryan Cherry, told lawmakers that the amendments eliminated the deficit by identifying duplicative costs and addressing technical issues, while using one-shot funds for some ongoing programs, including an expansion of pre-K and transportation for charter school students.

The problem is that this type of one-shot gimmick simply papers over the shortage and opens the door to future tax hikes. Nevadans don’t need accounting tricks, they need a spending plan that balances the budget and ensures the state lives within its means.

Using one-time funds for ongoing expenses lays the groundwork for deficits. Look no further than what’s happening now that states and local government entities have exhausted federal pandemic funding. Many jurisdictions spent the money on pay hikes or other annual expenditures that drive up baseline budgets, Having become addicted to the “one-time” infusion of cash, they now plead poverty and expect taxpayers to pick up the slack.

Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, highlighted the point. “Without a commitment that there’ll be an effort to raise revenue in the future, if needed,” he said. “I don’t want to have to pull the rug out from under folks.”

Responsible budgeting requires tough choices. We can debate the wisdom of spending millions on unproven pre-K programs. But if the money isn’t there to pay for it, either re-examine spending priorities or drop it from the budget altogether.