JUNEAU, AK – In an effort to increase dialogue around the state’s current budget situation, Governor Bill Walker and Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott Thursday released two valuable resources to the public and lawmakers. The Governor’s Budget eBook and results from the Voices for Vision Budget Survey were posted online today in hopes of spurring fruitful conversations about Alaska’s current fiscal challenges.
“As Alaskans, we’re in this together,” said Governor Walker. “In order to find the best solutions to the challenges at hand, we need as many people as possible to participate in these discussions. Our hope is that these documents will bring more Alaskans to the table as we discuss our fiscal future.”
The Governor’s Budget eBook explains how Alaska’s current budget gap developed, offers possible future scenarios and provides a financial overview for each state department. It is available online and can be downloaded as a PDF or an electronic book.
Governor Walker also released Thursday results of the Voices for Vision Budget Survey, which invited state employees and members of the public to weigh in on ways to manage Alaska’s finances. Eighteen students and three faculty members from across the University of Alaska system summarized and categorized more than 4,000 comments to provide an overview of the ideas submitted.
“I want to thank the students and faculty members who worked so hard to put this report together,” Governor Walker said. “I encourage all public servants to look at these documents and consider the ideas submitted as you’re making important budget decisions. Lieutenant Governor Mallott and I are doing the same, and plan to announce our five favorite ideas next week.”
Governor Walker’s Budget eBook: https://gov.alaska.gov/budget
Voices for Vision Budget Survey Report: https://gov.alaska.gov/Walker/press-room/budget-survey.html
