More budgetary gloom: Revenue forecast drops again
Less than 24 hours after Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a budget that fixed a $5 billion spending gap by cutting salaries and the budgets of nearly every state agency, a new revenue update brought more bad news. A new projection of a $183 million downturn in the next two years, combined with the Legislature’s reliance on one-time fixes like a tax-amnesty windfall and fund grabs, leaves the state roughly $572 million lower than previously expected, state budget Director Marty Brown…