Highlights of governor’s 2009-10 NC budget

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)—Highlights of Gov. Beverly Perdue’s $20.98 billion budget released Tuesday for the 2009-10 fiscal year. For tax changes, figures are for the amount of revenue generated or lost. For spending changes, figures are for amount spent or saved:

Taxes, reserves or salaries

- raise tobacco tax from 35 cents per pack to $1.35 starting Sept. 1, raising the tax on other tobacco products from 10 percent to 28 percent of wholesale price: $350.4 million.

- add 5 percent tax surcharge to all alcohol purchases starting Sept. 1: $157.5 million.

- exempt first $25,000 of net income from state tax for business with profits of less than $100,000, with the amount lowering to the first $15,000 for business making between $100,000 and $200,000: $12 million.

- create sales tax holiday for water-efficient products: No estimated impact.

- increase annual license fee on professionals from $50 to $200, add other smaller fee increase: $27.4 million.

- freeze longevity pay for teachers and state employees: -$173 million.

- add bonus leave for non-teacher state employees: No impact given.

- budget health care premiums to reflect some workers that don’t participate in State Health Plan: -$25 million.

- reduce budgeted salaries, benefits to reflect actual expenditures more closely within state government: -$150 million.

K-12 education

- reduce state aid to local school districts, which receive flexibility on how to make cuts and are urged to use federal stimulus funds to make up difference: -$144 million.

- reduce textbook allotment due to delay in new math books from grades 6-12: -$38 million.

- eliminate student accountability allotment, to be offset by federal stimulus money: -$38.4 million.

- reduce vacant or filled positions within the Department of Public Instruction: -$2 million.

- reduce inflationary adjustment for instructional materials and supplies, reduce by 2.5 percent funds for clerical and custodial positions: -$12.9 million.

- create new standard course of study, consider replacing existing standardized tests and pilot diagnostic tests to identify strengths and weaknesses of individual students: $4.7 million.

- expand North Carolina Virtual Public School, which lets student take classes online: $2 million.

- fund dropout prevention grants: $6.7 million.

- support 12 new early-college high schools expect to begin in 2009-10 school year: $3.7 million.

University of North Carolina system

- Reduce spending by 3.6 percent at all UNC system campuses, with campus flexibility on how to make cuts: -$96.6 million.

- Reduce spending by 5 percent or 10 percent at UNC system headquarters, with flexibility on how to make cuts: -$2.5 million.

- Phase out free UNC tuition for students who graduate the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics: -$1 million.

- Fund UNC system’s need-based financial aid request: $23.4 million.

- Reduce state’s general operating fund transfer to UNC Hospitals: -$10 million.

Community colleges

- Hire 65 faculty in health-related fields with shortages and a student waiting list: $4.8 million

- Fund 20 grants to campus programs for high-demand technical fields: $3 million.

- Restructure fees charged to continuing education student: -$9.4 million.

- Reduce state aid by 2 percent, with State Board of Community Colleges given flexibility to determine campus reductions: -$20.9 million.

Health and Human Services

- expand federal-state child health insurance program by additional 8,000 children: $4.3 million.

- create 111 additional local inpatient psychiatric hospital beds to improve local crisis system: $12 million.

- close two 25-bed unit at Broughton and Cherry state mental hospitals, reduce 192 positions: -$6 million.

- close Wright school in Durham and Whitaker school in Butner for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children at end of 2009, reduce 98 positions: -$2.9 million.

- maintain 36-bed overflow unit at Dorothea Dix mental hospital in Raleigh, hire 174 positions: $3 million.

- freeze provider inflationary increase for Medicaid reimbursements: -$101 million.

- reduce Medicaid prescription drug costs: -$21 million.

Justice and Public Safety

- eliminate 114 positions in Department of Correction: -$4.4 million.

- close McCain Correctional Hospital, eliminate 343 positions: -$1.4 million.

- close six other hospitals by mid-2010, with some cost savings not realized until second year of budget: -$344,000.

- raise pay for 1,408 probation and parole officers: $2.4 million.

- hire 128 more probation and parole officers and supervisors: $6.5 million.

- expand gang activity database: $1.8 million.

- develop gang prevention and intervention pilot that would focus youth at-risk for gang involvement, issue gang prevention grants: $11 million.

Natural and Economic Resources

- retool Main Street economic development program for small- and medium-sized towns. $3.3 million.

- fund NC Small Business Fund, promote tourism: $3.5 million.

- eliminate Office of Environmental Education: -$377,000.

- shift Department of Labor’s apprenticeship program to community college system, remove 26 positions: -$1.8 million.

- matching money for drinking water and clean water fund: $9.5 million.

Transportation

- reduce Department of Transportation administrative expenses: -$11.7 million.

- reduce highway maintenance funds to reflect expected revenues: -$76.8 million.

- reduce public transportation, aviation and ferry fund to reflect expected revenues: -$29.1 million.

- restore money to spot safety program: $9.1 million.

- make various Highway Trust Fund allocation changes to reflect falling revenue projections: -$157.3 million.

Other state agencies

- Build morale and welfare at state’s military installations: $1 million.

- Planning efforts to establish foundation to compensate those forcibly sterilized by the state in the mid-20th century: $250,000.