Alaska’s newly-consolidated Office of Information Technology could face its first true test this summer if the state government can’t agree on an operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year by July 1.
The budget standoff in the Alaskan legislature has frustrated politicians and citizenry alike for the nearly five months that the Republican-led Senate and Democrat-led House have been in session. Two of the past three years have seen the state government enter June without an agreed-upon and fully-funded budget. One certainty is the severity of impact that the shutdown of IT services would have on municipal and statewide markets. The government plans to support only the most essential programs, and nearly all of the programs on the chopping block require consistent IT support.
