One of the issues House and Senate conferees were unable to resolve during marathon negotiations on a new budget for Kentucky was the Commonwealth’s debt to revenue ratio.
The Democratic House wants it set at 7.05 percent of total revenues while the Republican Senate wants to hold it to 6.2 percent.
State Representative Rocky Adkins of Morehead is a Democrat and serves as House Majority Leader. He argued for the higher ceiling so the state could do more projects, including the renovation of Lexington’s Rupp Arena.
Adkins debated the issue first with Senate President Robert Stivers and then with Senate President Pro-Tem Katie Stine. The Democrat says now is a good time to start construction projects because interest rates are at a historic low.
State Representative Rocky Adkins and the Democrats have been calling for nearly two-billion dollars in projects. Republicans want the amount reduced to 553-million.
