Led by the Senate, Alaska Legislature delivers sensible budget

The budget approved by the Legislature for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is what bipartisan politics looks like.

It’s a sensible compromise that pays for state and local government services that Alaskans depend upon, while leaving difficult questions about a fiscal plan for another day.

The Anchorage Daily News has the best coverage of the one-day special session that saw the Senate strategy prevail, crafted by talented legislative veterans who know how to operate the levers of government and understand the value in working with members of both parties.

Alaska has to get beyond the annual arguments about the size of the dividend, an exercise made worse by anti-government Republicans who measure success by trying to appease the appetite for bigger dividends, financed by spending billions from savings.

The budget would balance if oil sells for about $73 a barrel in the next fiscal year.