Amidst a public health crisis and an economic recession, one would expect that government would increase its spending to keep people and the economy healthy.
South Dakota appears not to be spending more money amidst coronavirus and the pandemic recession. According to the latest Expenditure and Encumbrance Report from the Legislative Research Council, state spending of allocated FY2020 dollars is behind the pace of the previous two-year average. In FY2018 and FY2019, we spent an average of 76.50% of our total state budget. But a month and a half into the coronavirus crisis, we’ve only spent 74.16% of our budgeted funds.
All three main categories of state money by source show small retreats from the past two-year average rates. Our general fund spending is closest to the past average, down from 81.26% in 2018 and 2019 to 80.68% this year. The spending rate for other funds (fees and such) is down from 70.57% to 69.05%. We’re being the most hesitant with our federal dollars, down from 73.30% to 69.25%.
Now we’ve spent more in each of those categories this year than the past average—$9.7 million more in general funds, $12.3 million more in other, and $55.4 million more in federal (what’s that Kristi and Mike and Donald keep saying about shrinking the federal government?). But proportionally, South Dakota government seems to be making less of a fiscal effort to tackle our current monumental problems than it was making just to conduct normal business in 2018 and 2019.
Perhaps the thinking is that it’s futile to spend money to help people who will soon be dead.
Eve’s probably right about the SDGOP. In addition, it’s more $ for the corrupt few if it’s kept from the struggling many.
The bossturds are probably hording the money. Or else the legislatures are playing with French Math again.
What did we save the money for if not for this? Silas Marner mentality.