Steamboat Springs — State Rep. Al White discussed budget issues with the Routt County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, lending an ear to their concerns, as well as those of residents who attended.

The incoming state senator will sit on the state Legislature's Joint Budget Committee. Colorado probably will have to cut $600 million out of its current budget and $400 million out of next year's, said White, R-Hayden. The effects will trickle down to city and county governments, he said, though it's not clear how.

"Anything we use to prop up the budget, as opposed to making cuts, will just push into next year," White said Wednesday. Gov. Bill Ritter has asked all department leaders to cut 10 percent of their budgets, White said.

Despite the gloomy news, County Commissioner Diane Mitsch Bush said she was pleased with White's visit.

"I thought it was a great meeting," she said. "Al spent lots of time with us. There were many members of the public there."

Mitsch Bush said she raised concerns about transportation funding, and those in attendance discussed a push to cut a fuel tax.

"The airlines have been trying to get rid of the aviation fuel tax, which is absolutely essential for rural regional airports like Yampa Valley Regional Airport or the Steamboat airport," Mitsch Bush said. "It's a crucial source of revenue. It's really one of the only stable sources of income for transportation in the state."

County residents also asked White about higher education, veterans' issues and the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, or TABOR, Mitsch Bush said.

White said Wednesday that the government sometimes cuts higher-education funding during economic downturns. That's partly because it's "unmandated" funding, he said: That money isn't protected in the way that funding for jails and K-12 education is, for example.

"There's just a lot of our budget that is kind of on auto pilot that can't be touched to any significant portion, and as a result, we do - and have in the past - turned to higher education to exact the largest cuts," White said.

White is one of two Republicans on the six-member Joint Budget Committee, which is the Legislature's permanent fiscal and budget review agency. The state's fiscal year begins in July.

White noted that he hadn't forgotten a budget-related campaign promise.

"During the election, I said I wanted to get back on the Joint Budget Committee so I could protect tourism dollars. : I plan to do that," he said. "It's silly to cut dollars that bring in a leveraged return."

Mitsch Bush said she was happy with White's explanations and conduct. He spent time talking with residents after the meeting with commissioners, she said.

"I think the more we communicate with him, the more our issues will be addressed," Mitsch Bush said.