DOVER, Del. (AP) - Gov. Jack Markell is proposing a state operating budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 that is 3 percent higher than this year's budget and includes a pay raise for Delaware's state government workers.
The budget increase Markell proposed on Thursday is only slightly smaller than the 3.5 percent budget growth he proposed last year for the current budget.
Markell is asking lawmakers to approve a $3.83 billion operating budget for fiscal 2015.
To help pay for the spending plan, Markell is proposing higher taxes and fee on business entities. He also wants to redirect $40 million from the transportation trust fund and use it for general fund expenses, even though he says the transportation trust fund is in "sorry shape" and needs to be fixed.
