The purse strings in Juneau are tightening, as declining oil production weighs on state representatives. The House Finance Committee yesterday revealed their $9.7 billion operating budget, 2 percent lower than Governor Sean Parnell’s proposal.

The budget saw cuts in every department except corrections.

Public testimony will be taken at the Kenai Legislative Information Office tomorrow from 4:15pm to 5:15pm, with each individual given two minutes.

Rep. Kurt Olson recently commented on the tightened budgets, and added that this would probably be one of the last years with a significant capital budget. He said it is likely Kenai and Soldotna will receive funding for their top priority projects.

Kenai City Manager Rick Koch outlined Kenai’s top priorities…

Koch: “Number one is a million gallon water storage reservoir. Number two is a 20,000 square foot equipment storage building.”

Filed under: News by Catie Quinn