The Arizona Legislature approved the state budget for Fiscal Year 2016, beginning July 1. It looks like the Governor's proposal for the Arizona Geological Survey, to maintain the same level of funding as the current year, was approved without discussion at $941,700. The budget now goes to the Governor for his signature.Since the start of the recession, AZGS has taken net reductions of about 45% plus we absorbed the Dept. of Mines and Mineral Resources in 2011 without base funding for that staff.
We have been successful in winning grants and contracts so that state general funds accounted for less than 10% of our revenues in the past three years. That percentage is changing as some large grants end that had substantial subcontracts to external organizations. However, the net funding for internal AZGS operations is fairly level. This requires us to constantly be seeking competitive grants to sustain our state operations.
Understand that STEM has a lot of grants available. If SB 1200 is signed into law you may be able to write up and obtain some for new displays or for other purposes for the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum.
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