PROVIDENCE — Expressing reservations over certain items and their consequences for the 2003 budget, Governor Lincoln Almond signed the 2002 budget into law yesterday.
According to the governor’s office, the $2.65 billion budget represents a 9.8 percent increase over the enacted 2001 budget. In addition, the governor said 2002 budget’s recommendations indicated that 2003 revenues would fall short of projected expenditures, resulting in an operating deficit of $191 million in 2003.
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
For manufacturers, energy is more than just another operating expense. It plays a critical role…
Learn More
The governor expressed concern over future expenditures for the state employees’ cost of living adjustments, state investment in technology, and the auto excise program. He warned that the auto excise tax phase out “will have to be seriously re-evaluated in (fiscal year) 2003.”
Among the budget items that Almond praised were $5 million for affordable housing, $1.5 million for the environmental impact study regarding a container port in Quonset/Davisville, $1 million for foster care rate increases, and $4.4 million added to the budget for school aid.
