Gov. Matt Mead presents his draft budget

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead says he believes the state can fund government operations over the next two years without raising taxes despite the recent downturn in energy prices.

But Mead told state lawmakers in Cheyenne on Monday that Wyoming needs to figure out how it’s going to fund school construction and maintenance in coming years given the soft market for coal.

Mead announced last week that he’s proposing to slow the flow of mineral tax revenues into state permanent savings to free up money for state spending.

The Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee is set to hold two weeks of meetings this month and another two weeks of meetings in January to craft budget recommendations for the 30-day legislative session that starts in mid-February.