LSO staff preview new streamlined budget hearings, consolidated materials on SharePoint

Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, briefed the Joint Finance and Appropriation Committee on Jan. 7 on the committee's updated hearing format, the standard materials that will accompany each agency presentation, and how members can use the legislative SharePoint and budget book during the session.

Jessup said presentations have been shortened and standardized: each agency will present a concise package that includes an agency description, organizational structure and FTP (full-time personnel) counts, a consolidated fund analysis showing general, federal and dedicated fund activity, a five-year appropriation-and-expenditure trend, and a three-year enhancement look-back. She said the goal is "less time, more information" and easier access to supporting documents via SharePoint.

Why it matters: the standardized slides and consolidated fund analysis are meant to give members quick access to key decision points (personnel trends, dedicated fund balances and recent enhancements) so they can weigh maintenance budgets, requested enhancements and one-time items.

Jessup highlighted several items members should watch for: vacant-position counts and multi-year FTP trends, which can create "salary savings" or other variations; account categories (personnel costs, operating expenditures, capital outlay, trustee and benefit payments) and statutory rules governing transfers between them; and the dedicated funds list, which shows fund-by-fund balances and legal restrictions on use.

She noted one presentation change will lead to consistent calls-outs for the CEC (compensation) adjustments that were budgeted differently last year; members will see those items explained in the enhancement sections. On personnel-cost questions, she reiterated that one-time salary savings do not create ongoing base dollars and cautioned members about funding ongoing pay raises from one-time savings.

Jessup demonstrated the SharePoint organization the LSO and legislative budget office are using: agency materials are grouped and indexed by page number and file type so members can quickly find the LBB (legislative budget book) pages, the LSO slide deck, agency slides and any hearing follow-up documents. "We have avoided using any acronyms in the title of the agency," she said, to make searching easier.

Committee cochairs reiterated expectations: JFAC members are expected to attend the shortened morning sessions, where analysts will present each agency's budget, and to use work-group time for detailed follow-up. Staff said they will provide account-category guidance and printed reference sheets to help members when they consider transfers and exemptions.

Ending: Jessup offered to show members how to navigate SharePoint and invited members to request additional detail from analysts on any slide. The committee recessed for a short break and then continued its budget-work agenda.