Published: June 25, 2009 08:02 am      

Bad timing — 06/25/09

As state programs are being cut, House renovates offices

At the same time legislators are meeting in special session to trim nearly $1 billion in spending from the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, leaders of the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives are spending some $230,000 to renovate office space at the Capitol Annex.

Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo, a Prestonsburg Democrat, authorized the project which will overhaul about 4,100 square feet on the building’s third floor. That includes rebuilding, rewiring and new carpet. Robert Sherman, the Legislative Research Commission’s director, says the space was run down and had missing carpets and ceiling tiles.

A year ago, Senate President David Williams canceled a costly renovation of Senate offices that he had earlier approved after receiving numerous complaints about spending so much money on a unnecessary project when state revenue was so tight that funding for essential programs was being trimmed.

Apparently, Stumbo didn’t get the same message. New carpet and new furniture are nice, but in tough times, those are expenditures that definitely can be delayed. In fact, doing so sends the right message to voters.