One of Brian Schweitzer’s most endearing traits as governor was his insistence on carrying forward a reasonable budget surplus each year.

This really should be a no-brainer. After all, Montana has a constitutional requirement for a balanced budget, and yet the state is one of only four states with no “rainy day fund” to draw on in the event of a budget emergency.

Lacking a dedicated “rainy day fund,” the state has made due by planning a reasonable surplus each biennium to ensure that expenses never exceed revenue.

Gov. Steve Bullock is correct, therefore, to sound the alarm early in the 2015 Legislature that the Republican majority seems intent on passing tax cut bills more for political show than as good fiscal policy.

Experts are already warning that the state may see a significant retrenchment in tax revenue from the Bakken oil fields, depending on what happens to volatile oil prices over the next two years. Nor can anyone be particularly optimistic about increasing strength in other sectors as well. Montana’s economy remains relatively stagnant.

Republicans argue that tax cuts will stimulate the economy, and they may well do that over time, but in the two-year window of the state’s fiscal biennium, the only certainty would be an expectation of less revenue.

It would seem that if Republicans are serious about returning money to taxpayers, the best way to do so would be to stop funding programs first, then cut programs second. Surely, there is waste and extravagance that they could target. How about if we create a citizens commission to go through the budget, line by line, looking for things to cut?  

As for the governor, he is going to have to explain how his plan to infuse millions of dollars of state money into pre-school education is fiscally justified. In addition, with the Bakken’s future unclear, Gov. Bullock needs to make sure that his infrastructure investment plan doesn’t spend money where it isn’t needed in the long run.

We are confident that the Legislature and governor will reach a compromise well in advance of the final days of the legislative session. It will probably include some minor tax cuts and some major spending increases, but it had better also include a responsible surplus.