Byline: Associated Press
The state would sell 23 of its 30 planes under a proposal approved by the Legislature's budget committee.
The Joint Finance Committee approved the proposal 15-1 Thursday, ordering the Administration Department to offer the planes for sale by June 30, 2003.
The proceeds would first be used to pay off any debt the state owes on the planes. The remaining money would be put back in the state's general fund to pay for various programs.
The state's fleet of planes is worth about $15.3 million, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The Administration Department would be allowed to pick which planes to sell.
The proposal was part of the Joint Finance Committee's efforts to amend Gov. Scott McCallum's revised budget proposal. The committee, made up equally of members from the Assembly and Senate, will send the amended version to the full Legislature for a vote.
The Legislature must pass the same version of the amended bill and then send it to McCallum for his approval before it becomes law.
The governor ordered the Administration Department to sell 15 of the planes and 10 percent of the state's car fleet on Monday to help make up part of the state's $1.1 billion budget shortfall.
A McCallum spokeswoman did not return a call from The Associated Press Thursday.
Local leaders have criticized the state for buying three Swiss-made planes last year for $9 million. They are used for travel by top state officials, to transport blind and deaf students, and sports teams, such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison volleyball team.
