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LOUISVILLE, Ky– The Kentucky Association of Counties’ keynote speaker Tuesday at its yearly convention was Governor Beshear, who said he’s having to do what families and counties are… really pinch pennies due to the down economy. 

Beshear noted the prelminary Consensus Forecasting Group figures on which his fiscal 2011 & 2012 budgets will be based show even if costs don’t rise at all, Kentucky’s revenues will fall some $1.3 billion short over those 2 years. 

The Governor adds cost-cutting options are being reduced in number… some federal stimulus money can still be applied to 2011 for example, but then it dries up. Beshear says he’s proud, however, that some areas have been preserved– including education funding, Medicaid, and public safety. 

Addressing other issues after his speech, Beshear says there’d only be a special session to create economic incentives for Harley-Davidson to come to Shelby County if the company agreed to come, and the session would deal only with that. On the recently proposed constitutional amendment to allow video slots, Beshear finds the sudden conversion of a couple Senators who’d have nothing to do with the idea 2 years ago, less than “sincere.”