Posts > Lawmakers and the Governor Keep Talking About a ‘Flat Budget.’ So What Exactly is That?
January 11, 2024

Lawmakers and the Governor Keep Talking About a ‘Flat Budget.’ So What Exactly is That?

Mountain State Spotlight, Beckley Register-Herald – Long before Gov. Jim Justice tossed a couple copies of his proposed spending plan onto the speaker’s podium during Wednesday’s State of the State address, it was pretty well understood it was going to be a “flat budget.”

Read the full article.

A flat budget is the practice of keeping the same budget year over year, with no increases. Under the Justice administration, any extra money laying around after covering the cost of running an agency has been used for capital improvement projects, like fixing the roofs on jails and adding to the state road fund. 

Justice’s proposed budget comes in at $5.2 billion in general revenue, about a $300 million increase from last year. That 5.7% raise, according to acting  Revenue Secretary Larry Pack, is in line with inflation. 

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