(Le Mars) — Republican State Representative Chuck Holz of Le Mars met with a handful of constituents this morning during a town hall meeting hosted by the Plymouth County Farm Bureau organization. Holz began the discussion by focusing on the state’s budget woes. Holz informed the gathering that the state did not raise the revenue it was expecting to earn for this year. Holz says the state fell short by about $200 million dollars. The state representative says the state legislature has decided to borrow the necessary funds to cover state-funded programs from the state’s cash reserve, instead of slashing the budget
again, as was done during the start of the General Session. Holz reminded the group that under state law, any money the state has to borrow from its cash reserves must be paid back. The Le Mars Republican told the small gathering that because the state
depends so heavily on agriculture, the projections for next budget year are also likely to be tight with very little added revenue to the state’s financial position. The economic outlook for agricultural commodities, especially with grain sales, are to hold flat, or decline even further. Holz says in order to prevent from making unpopular budget cuts, he expects the state legislature will fund approximately 96 percent
of the expected total state’s revenue sources. Other topics that were discussed included taxes, water quality, worker’s compensation, fireworks, and the minimum wage.