The attached article is instructive. At the Budget and Control Board  meeting today, the Governor and Comptroller General pointed out that across the board cuts presume that funding for tennis courts, festivals, balloons, parking at football games and vacations for German tourists are more important than funding prisons and preserving our staffing levels here at SCDC. Instead of across the board cuts, Governor Sanford argued that lawmakers should return to Columbia and make smart, targeted and prioritized cuts; it is unfair to cut more essential and efficient agencies like SCDC so that less essential spending can be preserved and less efficient agencies are rewarded.

Unfortunately, spending on tennis courts and vacations will be preserved while our budget is cut. Treasurer Converse Chellis, Senator Hugh Leatherman and Representative Dan Cooper rejected targeted cuts and voted to cut SCDC’s budget by another 3%.

 

 

  

August 12, 2008

  

State agencies ordered to cut budgets by 3 percent

 

By Tim Smith

CAPITAL BUREAU

 

Gov. Mark Sanford and state Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom voted against the cuts, arguing the board should order agencies to set aside the money and call lawmakers back into session to make targeted cuts rather than across-the-board reductions.

 

As it is now, Sanford argued, a legislative program that hands out grants and is exempt from cuts will spend $100,000 to bring German officials to South Carolina as tourists, while the state's public education system will have to reduce spending by almost $80 million. Eckstrom said today's action will exacerbate the problem for schools with rising fuel costs, resulting in school buses being parked and teacher posts being left vacant.

 

Sanford called the decision "complete madness," also pointing out that the cuts will add to a projected $8 million deficit for the state's prison system.

 

Voting for the cuts were Sen. Hugh Leatherman, chairman of Senate Finance Committee, Rep. Dan Cooper, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and state Treasurer Converse Chellis.

 

Leatherman said lawmakers can revisit the cuts when they return in January but rejected Sanford's suggestion for the Legislature to return now to deal with the issue. When lawmakers left in June they left open the possibility of returning if revenue shortfalls exceeded 4 percent.

 

The 3 percent cuts are in addition to reducing the state's $133 million captial reserve fund, which by law must first be spent if revenues fall short of budgetary estimates.

 

The Board of Economic Advisors, which meets again tommorrow, last month reduced its revenue estimate for the year by $140 million.

 

Check back with GreenvilleOnline for more details of this story.

 

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