Budget and staff have declined
FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 29, 2017) — The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) returned $169,000 to the state General Fund in the fiscal year that ends June 30 in response to a request to state agencies by Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration to help the state balance its budget, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said.
“We are doing our part to help state government meet its budgetary obligations while using taxpayer resources in a fiscally responsible manner,” Quarles said. “The KDA’s budget and staff have declined steadily for many years. We have compensated by working harder, working smarter and using technology to work more efficiently.”
KDA’s budget for the 2017 fiscal year was just over $34 million, of which $16.9 million came from the General Fund. The General Fund appropriation to the KDA in fiscal 2017 was down 49 percent compared to 2000 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
KDA also receives funding from the federal government, from fees for services such as amusement ride inspections and forage testing, and from the 1998 master tobacco settlement with cigarette manufacturers.
The number of employees in KDA is 40 percent lower than in the 2000-2001 fiscal year.
In late May, the Bevin administration asked state agencies to reduce spending by a minimum of 1 percent for the remainder of the fiscal year after revenues came in below expectations.
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