By
Eric Swedlund
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Hull cuts will cost UA about $27 M
PHOENIX - Gov. Jane Hull yesterday line-item vetoed about $250 million of the Legislature-approved state budget, including two key University of Arizona funds.
The UA loses about $26 million in building renewal funding and a portion of $3 million aimed at retaining critical personnel under Hull's action yesterday.
Hull vetoed the university building renewal funding, which was set by the Legislature at 65 percent. Hull proposed 100 percent funding at the beginning of the session. Building renewal has been at 23 percent in each of the last two years.
"It's a problem," said UA lobbyist Greg Fahey. "(Building renewal) has a lot to do with the quality of students' experience."
In addition to routine maintenance and work safety, the building renewal funding goes to remodel and upgrade classrooms. Fahey said that work has to be done, which will require re-allocation of other university funds.
Fahey said he remains hopeful legislators will still be able to work something out and get back some of the building renewal funding.
Also vetoed by Hull was $3 million given to the Arizona Board of Regents over the next two years to retain critical personnel and combat the "brain drain" at state universities.
"That's especially important to us, it showed us the Legislature saw there was a problem," Fahey said. "It's a morale problem when something like that gets shot down. It's a negative sign that it was vetoed."
Fahey said the UA loses quality faculty regularly to higher paying jobs out of state.
Francie Noyes, Hull's spokeswoman, said a 5 percent state employee pay raise is substantial and the university's share of money from Proposition 301 will help boost technology programs.
The Legislature shipped Hull its $14.8 billion biennial budget Wednesday and yesterday was her deadline to sign it, veto it or let it become law without a signature.
Fahey said that despite the vetoes, the university did get a lot from the state in discretionary dollars.
University employees are included in the 5 percent pay raise slotted for state employees. Lawmakers have recognized the heavy workload of many UA graduate teaching assistants and the proposal provides relief in the form of $1.5 million over the next two years that will go to hire about 104 new TAs.
Additional UA budget requests fulfilled include almost $1 million for the Arizona Health Sciences Center Phoenix campus, about $800,000 for the UA South campus in Sierra Vista, almost $1 million for the university's share of construction and operation of a joint northwest campus with Pima Community College, and $2.5 million for equipment and construction for a conversion to digital television.
