Imagine watching a landslide crashing in slow motion. Huge boulders are breaking free and tumbling their way slowly toward you.
Because this is happening in slow motion, you still have time to run away, but you stand there watching as the slow-moving disaster inches toward you.
That dilemma is what today faces the state Legislature and Gov. David Ige’s administration.
They are working on the current edition of the state’s $13.7 billion state budget, which continues to nibble away at the state’s unfunded retirement benefits debt, which is going to get much worse before it gets better.
There are two boulders in this financial landslide: health care costs for retirees and retirement payments.
Together they are estimated as $8.5 billion. Last year the state had retirement and retiree health care costs of $789 million. But, state contributions were $393.4 million. That means just last year, the state tacked an additional $395.6 million on to it debts, according to the state’s 2015 comprehensive Annual Financial Audit.
The reason this is a landslide to worry about is because you will be stuck with the check to clean it up.
Right now the state has made two extra payments totaling $217 million, but we are staring at billions that is coming due.
The catch to this financial worrying is that back in 2013, the Legislature — led by then-Senate Ways and Means Chairman David Ige and House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke — passed a bill that started the clock running on paying down the missing billions.
Starting in fiscal 2019, 100 percent of the required annual payment must be actually paid. This is estimated to be more than $500 million. To make you understand that they were serious about that, the lawmakers included in the state law that if the Legislature in 2019 doesn’t pay, the money is automatically taken out of the state’s general fund.
“Just like debt service and payroll, unfunded liability is an obligation that the state has to meet,” said Luke, in an interview.
Right now, Luke is also mulling over Ige’s call to speed up the payment process.
Ige this year asked for an extra $169 million in payments to get the state in a better position.
“I haven’t made a decision on that,” Luke added, describing herself as “a little bit cautious about that request.”
Obviously if the state is taking its cash today to pay off tomorrow’s debts, there is less money available for air-conditioned schools or to fund new demonstration projects or even to approve new pay raises.
Luke remains confident that so far the state can handle both a new yearly $500 million chomp and the usual expenses.
“In the next five years it looks promising that our state will continue with 5 percent growth; that could change, but I consider this is obligation,” she said.
If anything, Luke said, the coming landslide of unpaid bills “forces us to relook and reevaluate all the state programs.”
Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.
