Alaska lawmakers will need to rethink how they approach the budget in the wake of declining oil revenue. That was the message of four interior Republicans during a meeting of the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. Taking part were state Sens. Pete Kelly of Fairbanks and John Coghill of North Pole, along with state Reps. Doug Issacson and Tammie Wilson, both of North Pole. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Kelly said that if lawmakers don't change structurally how they do the budget, they will never get control of it. He says lawmakers should be focusing on broad policies and values when setting the budget, and letting the governor and department heads figure out where to make cuts. The legislature convenes Jan. 21 in Juneau.
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