Waiting for the Revenue Forecast to Define Budget Shortfall...and Wondering about Performance Audits

In about a half hour, the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council will adopt the official forecast of state revenues though the 2009-2011 budget cycle. Joe Turner blogged yesterday that the "usually nerdish" event has become high drama. Like car crashes, I guess.

In my column in the Herald of Everett (also The News Tribune), I speculate that the forecast will again produce bad news. (I do not expect the Nostradamus award for that prediction.) More important, I discuss the harm tax hikes would inflict on struggling families and businesses, further deepening the recession here. And I mention the array of tools lawmakers and the governor have at hand to develop a balanced budget without raising taxes.

State officials have developed an array of tools for evaluating spending and setting priorities. Gov. Chris Gregoire continues to use the Priorities of Government program former Gov. Gary Locke pioneered in 2001 to balance a recession-hammered budget without tax increases. Three years ago voters authorized performance audits of all government programs. And Gregoire's GMAP program (Government Management, Accountability and Performance) focuses on performance and program effectiveness. Lawmakers should use the tools, control spending, and avoid punishing tax hikes.

So it's passing strange to note that the Priorities of Government exercise placed performance audits on the do-not-buy list. Adam Wilson's blog has State Auditor Brian Sonntag's reaction. Of course, the audits come from a dedicated fund stream approved by the voters when they passed Initiative 900. But still, why recommend eliminating a tool that can help you identify waste and inefficiency in tight budget times?