Brief look at a $20 billion budget
, Staff Writers
Here's a breakdown of the budget agreement by Senate and House leaders:MEDICAID RELIEF AND LAND TRANSFER TAX
The state would take over the counties' 5 percent share of Medicaid bills in exchange for a half penny of their sales tax revenues. Poor, rural counties in particular are expected to come out ahead on the deal, since Medicaid costs are expected to grow faster than the sales tax revenues. The counties will have the option to raise their sales tax by a quarter penny or their land transfer tax from 0.2 to 0.6 percent, but only through a voter referendum. Fast-growing urban areas had sought the land transfer tax option to help pay for new schools and other infrastructure (link to N and O article)