On Monday Delaware officials had to make a hard decision. Like most places the state is short on money so to help the growing deficit, officials had to lower revenue projections by $30 million for 2010. This brings the states deficit down to about $780 million. The governor of Delaware says this amount is only twenty five percent of the state’s budget. To help with the shortage, the governor took a pay cut and is hoping to reintroduce sports betting as a way to raise extra revenue the state so desperately needs.

Governor Jack Markell took a ten percent pay cut when he was sworn into office and now will cut it another twenty percent by July. The original salary is supposed to be $171,000. Many state workers are frustrated and angry that their wages will be cut by ten percent as well as benefits.

Markell’s point is that most of the budget of the state is from state workers’ wages so they had to be cut to help the deficit. Proposals have been made to increase alcohol tax, cigarette tax and those who make over $60,000 could pay more in state taxes.

But Markell would like to push sports betting to become legal as a way to bring in more revenue. He believes it will bring in $55 million a year for the state. Markell stated: “This demonstrates we face significant challenges. That’s why it’s so important that we get sports betting passed. If we don’t get the $55 million from there, we’ll have to get it from elsewhere.”







- 2009-04-22