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The Budget Revisited (1Jun92)
(from the Director's Office, NOAO Newsletter No. 30, 1 June 1992)

The last Newsletter reported the budget figures contained within the
President's budget submission to Congress for FY 1993. The percentage
increase requested for NOAO was 3.5 percent.  This percentage is equal
to the federal government estimate of the cost increase required to
maintain current services.  Overall within the NSF, most of the
requested budget increase for various divisions and national centers,
which averages substantially larger than 3.5 percent, is committed to
presidential initiatives and other new programs.

In the specific case of NOAO, we have now completed the calculations
necessary to determine what budget increase would actually be required
to maintain current services and to complete the GONG project according
to the current project plan. If we assume US inflation at 3.5 percent,
the scheduled GONG increase of $250,000, and Chilean inflation at a
rate 15 percent higher than in the US, which is currently the case,
then the President's request fails to cover our current program by $1M.
In both FY 1991 and FY 1992, NSF did provide special funds to NOAO to
cover the problem caused by the rapid increase of costs in Chile. The
seriousness of the budget shortfall at NOAO for FY 1993 will depend on
what fraction of the President's request is actually received and on
whether or not the NSF again provides sufficient funds to cover the
differential inflation in Chile.

Sidney C. Wolff

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