Joint Appropriations restores $100,000 for Wyoming Life Resource Center canteen operations

At a meeting of the Joint Appropriations Committee, members voted to restore $100,000 to Unit 2512, the Wyoming Life Resource Center canteen fund, after a brief debate over the source and use of the money.

Committee members first approved an amendment to reduce the line by $100,000, then later voted to restore the amount. Kevin Hibbert, director of the State Budget Department, and Eric McVicar, chief financial officer for the Department of Health, told the committee the funding is special‑revenue from canteen receipts rather than general fund dollars and that the appropriation authorizes spending those receipts for canteen operations.

Hibbert described the money as “special revenue that is collected … for this particular issue,” and said the change is an administrative adjustment to make recurring B11 requests part of the regular budget. McVicar said the canteen is a day operation that provides work experience for disabled residents and that revenue from the canteen supports the fund and the requested spending authority. McVicar also clarified that three residents work in the canteen but are not state‑paid employees; state employees who supervise operations are paid from the agency’s standard salary series.

Representative Harrelson moved to restore the $100,000, the motion was seconded and carried on a roll call showing nine ayes and three noes.

The committee’s paperwork shows roughly $129,000 in operations revenue for the canteen fund in the current materials; committee staff said the $100,000 request is a significant portion of the fund balance and that bringing recurring canteen items into the base budget is intended to reduce the number of supplemental (B11) requests.

The appropriation is limited to the canteen (special‑revenue) fund and was described repeatedly as not tied to the state general fund.