TOPEKA – Revenue projects released Thursday evening put Kansas’ current budget in the red by the end of the fiscal year if nothing is done.
Revenue estimators decreased the amount the state was expected to bring in 2010 by $235.2 million, or 4.2 percent below prior estimate.
The initial estimated for fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1, is $122.2 million or 2.3 percent below the current year’s revised estimated of $5.3 billion.
“The recession in Kansas in not over in the current fiscal year but there are signs of recovery and we are anticipating those signs will increase as we get to 2011,” said Alan Conroy, director of the state Legislative Research Department.
The current budget, which ends June 30, has already gone through four rounds of cuts. The last round was ordered by Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, who ordered cuts to the budget in early July shortly after the budget began.
The governor has promised that lawmakers will return to Topeka in January to a balanced budget, which means he is likely to order more cuts.