Gov. Mark Sanford’s 106 state budget vetoes ranged from the multimillion-dollar level to what amounts to a mere pittance in a $5.5 billion budget.

3 biggies

• $7.7 million — Personnel for increased enforcement collections, Department of Health and Environmental Control

• $5 million — Hunting Island Beach renourishment, Department of Health and Environmental Control, Programs and Services, Coastal Resource Improvement

• $2.7 million — Personnel for increased enforcement collections, Clemson University Public Service Activities

3 not-so-biggies

• $1,952 — John De La Howe School, administration, other personal service

• $13,215 — Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, administrative services, other personal services

• $18,389 — Department of Social Services, programs and services, employment and training service, case management, Greenville Urban League

WE GET THE MESSAGE

Wading through $36 million in budget vetoes, one thing becomes crystal clear — Gov. Mark Sanford does not like “other operating expenses.”

• In 17 vetoes, Sanford attempted to strike more than $4.5 million in “other operating expenses.”

• And the governor is an equal opportunity vetoer when it comes to “other operating expenses.”

• He went after such items in agency budgets from the departments of Education to Health and Environmental Control to Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

• In fact, his very first slice — “Veto 1” — pared $298,030 from the education department’s Division of Professional Development and School Quality’s “other operating expenses” fund.

• Sanford does not like large “other operating expenses,” such as the $787,017 found in DHEC’s administration budget.

• Nor does he like them small, such as DHEC’s Health Surveillance, Vital Records section, where the governor snipped $12,681.