OKLAHOMA CITY — With just a few weeks left before the opening of the 59th Oklahoma Legislature, state agency heads are now meeting with lawmakers to outline budget proposals for the next fiscal year.
Several agencies have already made presentations to the members of the Appropriations Committee and more meetings are scheduled. Along with the budget hearings, lawmakers will hear from Gov. Kevin Stitt.
All those meetings will come before the State Board of Equalization meeting, set for mid-February. At that meeting, the equalization board will finalize revenue numbers, which could be higher or lower than expected.
Last year, the equalization board certified $10.49 billion for the fiscal year 2023 budget. And though the state’s final budget numbers haven’t been set, data provided by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services show that lawmakers could expect to spend about $8.67 billion of the $9.12 billion in revenue collected by the state.
Those figures are part of total budget package – which includes unspent funds, federal funds and available cash – of more than $13 billion.
Speaking at a hearing last Tuesday, JanLee Rowlett, the Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Agriculture told lawmakers the agency needs additional funds for staff retention.
“Our staff has done a great job in coming together,” she said. “So far we have provided $2.7 million (for pay increases) without additional appropriation.”
But the agency, she said, “had gotten to the position that there’s not a whole lot more we can do without an additional appropriation.”
Rowlett said the problem goes back to 2019. She said the agency didn’t raise employee salaries. “We had fallen behind other state agencies and are losing staff primarily to those other agencies,” she said. “Addressing that problem so we can retain that staff is going to be our next priority.”
Rowlett said the agency needed $5.5 million for pay raises. She said the agency request would be $2.8 million this year, with subsequent increases coming over the next few years. In addition to funds for pay, Rowlett said the agency hoped to have $2 million in extra funds to fight wildland fires.
“We hope to set up a fund to hire private areal resources to help us fight fires,” she said. We want to give preference to Oklahoma companies. I think a fund like this could help on multiple fronts.”
While the agriculture department’s request for a budget increase was relatively small, at least one agency told lawmakers that it would not be seeking a budget increase.
Brandy Wreath, the new Director of Administration for Oklahoma Corporation Commission said his agency was “an agency in transition in many ways.”
“We’re changing a lot of things,” Wreath said. “I bring a different business mindset.”
Wreath said the Corporation Commission would not be seeking an increase in its appropriation for the next fiscal year.
“We’re trying to do things through efficiencies,” he said. “Through cost savings. We’re trying to handle the new mandates through that process.”
Budget hearings are schedule to continue through January. Lawmakers return the Capitol in February for the beginning of the 2023 legislative session.