CHEYENNE - Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Monday formally asked the Legislature to give him five new full-time auditors, restore funding to the Wyoming Natural Gas Pipeline Authority, and pay for 85 percent of health insurance premiums for state employees and their families.

He also asked lawmakers not to give the Wyoming Energy Commission any more money.

Freudenthal made those requests in his revisions to the $218 million supplemental budget his predecessor, Jim Geringer, submitted to the Legislature last autumn.

In a letter to the Joint Appropriations Committee (JAC), Freudenthal requested $23 million to pay for 85 percent of employee health insurance premiums for both employees and their dependents. He had announced previously that he would be ask the Legislature to make that change.

The state now pays 100 percent for employees and zero for their family members. Geringer had sought to change that to paying 75 percent for both employees and dependents.

In his letter to the JAC, Freudenthal said, "By this change, we hope and expect to correct the imbalance within the pool caused when the spouses and dependents of state employees are not covered by our insurance program because of the prohibitive cost of doing so."

Freudenthal's plan adds roughly $6.5 million in General Fund spending to Geringer's request.

JAC Cochairman John Schiffer, R-Kaycee, suggested that the Legislature might decide upon a percentage within the range of what Freudenthal and Geringer have sought.

"We're down to the horse trading," Schiffer said. "The bidding started at 75. He's come back with 85."

But a Democrat on the panel, Rep. Wayne Reese of Cheyenne, said he wants the state to continue funding 100 percent for employees, even if the state match for their families has to be lower.

"I would prefer to see the state contribution for employees' health insurance stay at 100 percent. Anything less than that is really a big pay cut for the employee," Reese said. "If we need to, we may have to drop it back so the family coverage is 50 percent rather than 85 percent to cover the difference."

Five auditors

As Freudenthal promised in his election campaign, he has asked for $388,179 to hire five additional full-time auditors.

Throughout the campaign and since, Freudenthal has stressed the need to ensure that mineral companies are complying with Wyoming's tax laws. He and others have argued that more mineral auditors would turn up money the state is entitled to but is not now receiving.

Schiffer seemed open to the proposal but uncommitted.

"If the state's leaving money on the table in terms of mineral audits, I just don't know whether we are," he said. "Are they (the new auditors) going to be cost-effective? I just don't know yet."

Reese, however, embraced the idea.

"This is a subject that we've been hearing about for several years. I'm happy to have a governor that agrees we need more auditors," he said.

He acknowledged that they might not find any additional money, but there is a public perception that the state is not collecting all that it is owed, and the new auditors would help allay that concern.

Freudenthal suggested removing Geringer's request of $542,500 for the Wyoming Energy Commission, claiming that its original appropriation of $1 million from its 2001 creation should be adequate.

Schiffer said flatly he does not know what will happen with that request, but Reese agreed with what Freudenthal has previously said with regard to the Energy Commission.

"I never thought we needed the energy council to begin with," Reese said. "The statutes that authorize the Business Council give them the power to do exactly what we're asking the energy council to do. It should have been the work of the Business Council all along."

Pipeline Authority

Freudenthal wants $279,500 to revive the Wyoming Natural Gas Pipeline Authority, as well as to divorce it from the Wyoming Business Council. He said the authority should be fully funded as a separate agency to enable it to carry out its statutory responsibilities.

The governor also plans to propose legislation to begin an economic development program for cities and towns. The program would make available to the municipalities $15 million a year in grants for 10 years to help them recruit and retain businesses.

For the first year, that money will have to come from the budget reserve account, but Freudenthal said he would write it into the general fund in coming years.

Schiffer said he needs to know more details about Freudenthal's economic development plan.

"I think this will be open for discussion," Schiffer said. "What's going to be the criteria. How are cities and towns going to use this money? That's a long-term commitment and a lot of money, and I think we've got to define a little better where we're going with that thing."

Freudenthal also suggests:

- Moving the homeland security coordinator position and its $103,295 appropriation into the governor's office, a move with which Schiffer agrees. Freudenthal said he is rewriting the executive order covering Wyoming's homeland security program to put it under civilian authority.

- Removing $1.5 million in funding for the flexible benefits option program. Freudenthal said it offers "future possibilities," but is incomplete with regard to planning for its administration.

- Removing $1.6 million in funding for "eGovernance," a Geringer initiative to provide citizens more access to government online. Given the cost of the program, Freudenthal said, he wants more time to review its purpose and value before backing it.

- Adding $50,000 for the Council for Women'92s Issues, which Freudenthal called an important group that has had "very limited funding" in the past.

- Removing $969,200 from the Wyoming Military Department. About $500,000 of the amount was to provide a 25 percent state match to the federal First Responder Terrorism Preparedness Act, which has not yet been enacted by Congress.

Freudenthal favors earmarking money within the budget reserve account until it is actually needed. Another $469,200 reduction is the result of a revised estimate for the cost of six "portable interoperable communications systems." The computer equipment has already been purchased, and the cost for the vehicles is now approximately $477,000.