Judge: Kentucky governor can cut college, university budgets

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky's governor cannot take money from colleges and universities, but he can order them not to spend all of it, a state judge ruled Wednesday.

The ruling from Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate is the latest development in a monthslong feud between Republican Gov. Matt Bevin and Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear, son of Bevin's predecessor, Democratic governor Steve Beshear.

Wingate ruled two state laws give Bevin the authority to reduce the allotments to public colleges and universities without the approval of the state legislature.

Andy Beshear had sued to stop Bevin's cuts, arguing only the state legislature has the power to appropriate money.

But Wingate disagreed, saying Bevin did not change how much money colleges received; he just ordered them not to spend all of it.

Beshear said he would appeal the ruling immediately, saying it "confers dangerous levels of power on the governor."

Bevin said he was grateful for the ruling, calling Beshear's lawsuit a "politically motivated" attack.

Meanwhile, Northern Kentucky University on Wednesday announced it would eliminate 105 jobs, including 35 faculty positions, to compensate for declining revenue. It attributed the decline to the rising pension costs, declining enrollment and Bevin's cuts.

Bevin first proposed his cuts to colleges and universities in January as part of a larger plan to cut state spending by $650 million.

He said the cuts are necessary to start saving the money needed to pay down the state's massive public-pension debt, estimated at more than $30 billion.

Bevin's proposal included spending cuts this year and over the next two years. The state legislature approved most of the cuts for the next two years and rejected cuts for the current year.

But Bevin, citing state law, ordered the mid-year cuts anyway.

Beshear sued him, saying the governor can cut spending only if the state has a budget shortfall.