So, we’re doing secret budgets now?
Say what you will about Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, he doesn't make many mistakes. That may account, at least in part, for his overwhelming popularity.
But the governor made a big mistake recently, breaking with tradition by -- temporarily at least - shrouding the state budget in secrecy from the Legislature and the public. It was an unforced error that smacked of pettiness and paranoia.
In fact, I tweeted (half-jokingly) that this was something I'd expect to see from Sandoval's immediate predecessor, Jim Gibbons. But as it turns out, even Gibbons didn't pull this kind of a move, and he wasn't exactly known as the most open governor in state history.
Some background: Every two years, state agencies prepare their budget requests. Governors often tell agencies to limit spending, knowing that they'll be constrained by fiscal realities.
Once those budgets are prepared, they're transmitted simultaneously on Sept. 1 to the state budget office and to the Legislative Counsel Bureau's Fiscal Analysis Division. At this point, the numbers are not considered public.
This year, that was done paperlessly - the fiscal division was simply granted access to the executive-branch web-based budget system. There, there were able to see both the basic budget prepared by state agencies, as well as "items for special consideration," or budget requests that may or may not end up in the final budget.
On Oct. 15, an official preliminary version of the budget was transmitted to the Legislature - but suddenly, fiscal analysts who work for state lawmakers no longer had access to those "items for special consideration" online.
(Note to the LCB: Print everything out from now on!)
Sandoval initially refused to allow the counsel bureau to regain access to those "items for special consideration," claiming they are not part of the official budget.
Some of them may make it into the governor's official budget recommendation, delivered in January along with his State of the State address.
Then again, some may not. And that could have meant state lawmakers and their bosses -- that's you, the public -- would never have known what some state agencies requested. (State agency chiefs have reportedly been told to keep quiet about their requests.
What made this flap interesting is that every previous governor -- including Gibbons - made both the basic budget and the items for special consideration public in the budget process. But Sandoval -- who took office only after Gibbons has released that information in 2010 - initially took the stand that the law doesn't compel him to release everything.
NRS 353.211(1)(c) says by Oct. 15 of each even-numbered year, the state budget chief shall give the Legislature information including "each agency's requested budget for the next two fiscal years."
Said the governor in a statement on Thursday: "By law, the budget office is required to release each agency's requested budget for the next two fiscal years on Oct. 15 and the budget office did so. 'Items for special consideration' or agency wish lists, are not part of the agency request budget."
But later on Thursday afternoon, the governor relented.
His chief of staff said all of the budget numbers - including agency wish lists - would be made public next week.
Sandoval is a cautious fellow, and surely wanted to avoid confusion or circulating inaccurate information. That's understandable. But clearly, keeping budget numbers secret was not the way to go.
He got the worst kind of bad press as a result: the unnecessary kind. He was right to change course.
Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist and author of the blog SlashPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter (@SteveSebelius) or reach him at 387-5276 or SSebelius@reviewjournal.com.
