BILLINGS — Gov. Steve Bullock on Thursday proposed spending $200 million on roads, bridges, schools and other public works across the state. But he didn’t specify any projects or exactly how to pay for them, despite previous plans getting hung up on such details.
The first-term Democrat characterized his announcement as picking up where the Republican-controlled Legislature left off in 2015, when a similar spending package failed by a single vote in the House.
Republican lawmakers reacted with skepticism. They, too, pledged support for more infrastructure spending, but said the governor’s plan so far remains short on substance.
Bullock also proposed a long-term building fund, the Build Montana Trust, which would be supported by coal severance taxes.
“This isn’t just about creating temporary construction jobs,” Bullock said during a news conference at a middle school under construction in Billings — a project paid for with local revenue. “This is about creating a future for Montana to ensure our communities, our businesses, our residents have efficient and reliable infrastructure.”
Scobey Republican Sen. John Brenden, who sponsored the unsuccessful 2015 spending measure, said the state’s needs outstrip the money available and public works and other construction projects should be prioritized.
Bullock, who is seeking re-election in November, said infrastructure spending would be his top priority during the 2017 legislative session.
What projects to include will be decided in coming months. They would be paid for by a combination of cash and bonds — a key sticking point for past proposals.
Some Republicans oppose issuing more government bonds because, they say, it would put the state into further debt. That’s been a key source of debate since 2013, when Bullock vetoed a spending bill for eastern Montana because it relied on cash.
“How much would be cash, and how much would be bond? That needs to be spelled out,” Brenden said.
Another hurdle Bullock would have to overcome is Republican opposition to several high-priced building projects, such as $25 million for a new historical museum in Helena and $18.4 million to renovate Montana State University’s Romney Hall.
The governor would not say if those projects would again be included. He plans to visit communities across the state in coming months to determine their priorities.
Bullock blamed “political gamesmanship” on the part of conservative Republicans for stymieing the 2015 proposal, which started at $300 million but was later reduced to half that amount before it failed in the House.
But his would-be opponent in November said Bullock should carry the blame for failing to come up with a spending package that could get sufficient bi-partisan support.
“The announcement today honestly was a campaign stunt,” said Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte, a former technology executive from Bozeman. “The governor had four years and had two sessions to get infrastructure approved.”
The long-term trust fund appears somewhat similar to one that won passage from the Legislature but was ultimately vetoed by Bullock because he said the legislation would draw money away from the state’s pension system and the general fund.
That earlier proposal — from Sen. Rick Ripley, a Republican from Wolf Creek — would have created a new infrastructure fund called the Build Montana Trust. Its revenue would come from money currently going to an endowment fund and water system fund. The money from those two funds was already scheduled to be funneled into the Coal Severance Tax Permanent Fund beginning in July.