Your chance to tell Washington state how to save

EVERETT — If you have ideas on how the state can do a better job spending your tax dollars, then be at Everett Community College this Wednesday.

That's when the man writing the governor's next two-year budget will be in town to explain the reasons for a looming $3 billion deficit and seek input on how to deal with it.

Marty Brown, the director of the Office of Financial Management, will describe how Gov. Chris Gregoire is attacking the deficit by trying to fundamentally change the way state agencies operate.

He'll go through details of her blueprint for reform, released earlier this year, which pushes agencies to focus on providing essential services and consider unloading long-held responsibilities like the selling of hard liquor and operating of a ferry system.

When Brown is finished, residents will get two minutes apiece to sound off. People can hand in written comments if they prefer.

Gregoire and Brown will use this input in crafting a proposal for a balanced budget for the 2011-13 biennium. That spending plan is due to lawmakers in December.

Joining Brown on Wednesday will be members of the Committee on Transforming Washington's Budget. Gregoire created this panel as a source of suggestions and a sounding board for ideas culled from the public.

Wednesday will be the second of four scheduled public sessions. Gregoire plans to attend the first meeting today in Tacoma. Others will be held in Vancouver and Spokane. For details on her budget transformation plan, go to http:// governor.wa.gov/priorities/budget/.