The budget compromise that the Governor and legislature announced yesterday calls for taking another $1.5 million from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP).

It is worth noting that this new $1.5 million grab is not without precedent. Since the dedicated fund was put into effect in 2008, LCHIP has granted about $3.1 million to preserve farms, forests, and historic properties. Over this same period, if the current budget proposal passes as anticipated, the current administration will have taken $6.7 million from the program.

Another way to look at this is that the current administration and the Democrat controlled legislature have raided 68% of the funds supposedly dedicated to LCHIP over the past 2 years, all for “one time” fixes to the states general fund.

Apparently, the current administration and legislative leaders see this program as the gift that keeps on giving.