On Thursday, December 5th, Governor Spencer Cox released his Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Recommendations, and in doing so formally kicked off the budget season. In the state government rendition of letters sent to Santa, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget submits the statutorily required list of recommended investments to the Legislative Fiscal Analyst (LFA) no later than 30 days before the General Session begins. And much like kids on Christmas, LFA awaits the announcement of the Governor’s Budget to assist in their preparations for the upcoming legislative session.
In fulfilling the requirements of UCA 36-12-13 and 63J-1-201, LFA prepares an annual summary of the budget recommendations document according to appropriations subcommittee and also tallies statewide impacts (such as compensation). The summary highlights the amounts and purpose of major investments and when necessary, points out items not included in the final recommendations. The theme of this year’s 200 page document is “Where we’ve been and where we’re going,” and groups investments into the categories of People, Place, and Prosperity.
2024 LFA Summary of the Governor’s Budget Recommendations (FY 2026)
On Monday, December 9th, the Executive Appropriations Committee will meet to adopt revenue estimates which will be used in formulating budgets for the upcoming General Session.