The Journal Sentinel reports today that Republicans in the State Legislature are questioning Gov. Doyle’s projection of a $3 billion budget gap. Partisan arguing can go on all day about whether the state should use budget request as a basis for the projection, but there is no doubt that the state is going to be looking into a deep, deep hole for the 2007-09 budget, just like school districts and municipalities are.

Here’s how Paul Vornholt, the city’s chief lobbyist, put it last week during a city budget hearing.

“The rhetoric behind the scenes from DOA (the State Department of Administration) and the governor’s office is that this will be the worst deficit he’s faced since he’s been in office,”  Vornholt told the Finance and Personnel Committee.

Vornholt said he was hopeful that there would be some improvement in state shared revenue funding for the city. The city’s basic strategy, though, is about preserving what it has: “First you play defense — don’t hurt me, don’t cut me,” he said.