November 6, 2018 — Legislative and governor candidates have vowed across the state to further cut Alaska’s budget, but many state departments drafting their budget requests for the coming fiscal year are going in a different direction.
On Friday, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute became the latest state-supported agency to warn that budget cuts have reached their limit and in some places have gone too far.
In an unusual statement, the public-private partnership said it will be requesting $3.75 million more from the state in the coming year.
“There’s only so much you can do to squeeze down on the role and responsibilities of state government, and as far as others, there’s some departments looking at increments … I guess mostly in programs that will pay long-term benefits,” said Mike Navarre, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, which controls ASMI’s budget.
An “increment,” in the jargon of the state, is a budget increase.
“We used to invest in seafood marketing. We’re looking to do it again,” Navarre said.