Legislators spend up a storm in 2007

As Utah legislative sessions go, the 2007 version was relatively mild-mannered.

That's partly because GOP leaders and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. were determined to set that congenial tone, partly because the state had an extra $1.75 billion in new money to spend.

And spend it they did — like drunken sailors.

Conservatives in the House had a decidedly sheepish look on their faces the final days, as budget bill after budget bill rolled by with huge increases in spending.

A summary budget sheet passed out the last hours of the session Wednesday had some amazing numbers: Overall, state spending, including federal funds, will go up in fiscal 2008 by 9.9 percent. Just looking at the state funds — like the General Fund and the Education Fund — state spending will be up 17 percent.

In the current year over last year, state funds spending went up 18.6 percent.

Add this year's state funds spending with next year's and you have a state government spending your tax money at an increased 35.6 percent.

Think about that for a moment.

State government has grown by more than ONE-THIRD in just two years.

Now, there are many mitigating factors to be considered, also.

With nearly half a billion dollars going into public and higher education this coming year, Utah will still be dead last in the nation in per-pupil spending.

Our class sizes continue to grow.

And even though legislators gave every teacher a $2,500 raise with a one-time $1,000 bonus, Utah will still lag behind its Western neighbors in teacher pay.

We have what some may call a transportation crisis on our hands. Commuter and light-rail expansions should help. But many of our roads are overcrowded and our freeway bridges are falling down.

There is something like $6 billion in needed road work waiting.

And even though Utah state government is growing, much of that money is going into construction projects — $200 million for the Capitol, hundreds of millions into roads and other state buildings.

Still, the final night of the session saw an extra $6 million spent on one-time goodies — special projects wanted by legislators ranging from $300,000 for buying land for Cedar City's Shakespearean Festival to $800,000 for the Utah Festival Opera.