Mead Boosts Next Year’s Fire Budget
Wyoming Governor Matt Mead says as he reworks his budget for the coming year, it is apparent he will have to beef up the contingency for fire-fighting efforts that may be necessary next summer. Mead says the state had allocated $9-million dollars for such needs in 2012. The cost of the Horsethief Canyon Fire near Jackson alone was nearly $9-million. Statewide, Mead says the firefighting efforts amounted to about $100-million and the state’s share of that is about $45-million. Now, Mead says it appears Wyoming could be in for a similar scenario in 2013. He says weather forecasts indicate that the coming summer may be another dry one, and when you combine one drought year on top of another, Mead says it is not good to not have money on hand to fight fires in the coming year. Consequently, he says he plans to have as much money next year and possible a little more in the budget to address firefighting needs. Mead says this need along with other key state commitments and revenues from the declining natural gas and coal prices will lead to budget cuts in order to not outspend the state’s revenue. Governor Mead plans to release his proposed budget on November 30th.
