South Carolina's air fleet will get a little smaller, and the state will see some welcome savings under a plan endorsed by Gov. Mark Sanford and several state agencies. It's an example of consolidation that should be followed by the state's research universities, as recommended by the governor.
Coordinating the use of state aircraft by SLED and the Department of Natural Resources will enable the sale of two aircraft. The Commerce Department, meanwhile, will sell its share of a jet and hire a charter service, as needed, instead.
Savings will be realized from the sale of surplus aircraft, in their upkeep and their operation. They savings are substantial. The state expects their sale to net about $1.1 million and save $120,000 a year in operation and maintenance costs.
Gov. Sanford described the downsizing as "a perfect example of what happens when you get the right hand and the left hand in government working together. Inevitably you find there are dollars to be saved and efficiencies to be realized."
Cutting air fleet expenses had been recommended both by the gubernatorial-appointed Commission on Management, Accountability and Performance and by the Legislative Audit Council.
Gov. Sanford said the decision to reduce the fleet should be viewed as an example for other state agencies not under the governor's control. That was clearly meant as an encouragement to the University of South Carolina, Clemson, and the Medical University of South Carolina and Clemson to consolidate their use of aircraft, and dispose of surplus planes. The governor estimates potential savings of $600,000 in annual air travel expenses to the universities.
The example also should serve to encourage the identification and sale of surplus state property, as recommended by the MAP Commission and the audit council. If agencies could reduce their property holdings by 5 percent, as urged by the MAP commission, the state could expect to receive $200 million from the sale of property, and cut expenses by $1 million a year. In addition, land would be put to more productive use and placed back on the tax rolls.
Those estimates, incidentally, don't include potential savings from the sale of surplus holdings by the state's public universities. As with surplus aircraft, state colleges and universities also should look at disposing of their surplus property. Maybe sale proceeds and savings would help keep tuition from an ever, upward rise.
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