Utah's $16B budget boosts school spending, state worker wages, Medicaid growth

Last edited Thu Mar 16, 2017, 05:59 AM - Edit history (1)

Utah received a bit of a windfall during the 2017 Legislature — projections that it would receive $100 million in extra revenue beyond earlier estimates.

So lawmakers added it to a $16 billion budget to help Utah schools, give state workers a raise, fund Medicaid growth and build new university buildings — among a variety of other projects.

Even then, lawmakers said money did not stretch quite far enough.

So they authorized bonding for $1 billion over four years to accelerate highway projects statewide, with the expectation that Interstate 15 along the Wasatch Front will see much of that money. And they approved borrowing $100 million more for the new state prison, bringing the total bonding allowed for that project now to $575 million.

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/5030086-155/utahs-16b-budget-boosts-school-spending