Under Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's fiscal year 2015 budget, state spending will grow 3.7 percent to $2.9 billion as Idaho's economy recovers.
Otter told lawmakers Monday he's sticking to a fundamental principle: Keeping the growth of government below the pace of the economy.
In the year starting next July, Otter's financial aides predict Idaho's general fund revenue will rise by 6.4 percent to $3 billion.
Among other things, Otter says his budget succeeds in paying for ongoing programs with state revenue sources that are predicted to last well into the future.
He says Idaho over the last eight years — and despite the Great Recession's lingering impacts — has weaned itself of its habit of paying for ongoing programs with unsustainable, short-term funding sources that put them at risk.
