Gov. Mark Sanford deserves the high marks he's getting from legislative leaders for his new approach to budget writing which goes beyond last year's zero-based budgeting, commendable in its own right, to one that focuses on whether government is achieving the desired results. His new 212-page proposal for some $5.3 billion in government expenditures was put together by "results teams" of more than 70 citizens from both the public and private sectors. It is an impressive piece of work.

Both House and Senate leaders attending a legislative workshop for members of the media Thursday praised the governor's new budgeting approach, even if they didn't agree with all of his proposals. Basically, the governor noted in his budget message that he set eight goals that reflected what South Carolinians should expect their state government to accomplish. Then he looked at the budget to see how state agencies could best accomplish those goals.

One of those goals is to "strengthen government's ability to achieve results efficiently and effectively." Here's one small but telling example he gave Thursday of how the new approach of looking at government activities as opposed to focusing on individual agencies can result in efficiencies that benefit citizens: Since the government requires the registration of boats and automobiles, why not allow the Department of Motor Vehicles that has 68 offices around the state to register boats instead of the Department of Natural Resources, which only has five facilities. Obviously that would be more convenient to boat owners, particularly since some DMV offices have Saturday hours. The estimated savings is some $1.6 million.

From a broader policy standpoint, the governor is once again pushing for government restructuring, although admittedly his new proposal is pared back from last year's massive restructuring proposal.

Notably, it would consolidate a number of health and human services agencies to streamline services and reduce duplication. That would be a Cabinet agency, as would a new Department of Administration, which would assume many of the duties now provided by the Budget and Control Board, including personnel and purchasing.

The governor also wants to expand the chief executive's authority over public education and agriculture, and other areas now governed by constitutional officers. He would seek a referendum giving the governor the authority to appoint the superintendent of education, the agriculture secretary, the adjutant general and the secretary of state. The treasurer and comptroller general have been dropped from that list. The new Cabinet appointments couldn't be made until after Mr. Sanford leaves office, even if he seeks a second term, which should remove some of the politics from the proposal. The same goes for his proposal that the governor and lieutenant governor run as a team.

While pushing for substantial new funding for education and law enforcement, the governor also says a priority should be the repayment of funds taken from a number of the state's trust funds during the recent lean budget years. Additional revenues are expected this year, but Gov. Sanford is rightly focused on trying to ensure the lawmakers don't get over their heads and find themselves once again raiding reserve funds.

He proposes an average 3 percent salary increase for state employees, but is rightly challenging officials to devise ways to make those hikes merit-based rather than across-the-board.

A sounding of the legislative leadership Thursday left little doubt that a number of the governor's proposals have a doubtful future, particularly a proposal to set a minimum size for school districts in the state, which would require merger of districts in a number of counties.

While several lawmakers conceded that some counties have too many districts, taking valuable funds from the classroom for administrative costs, they also said the topic is too hot locally to tackle. That's the kind of political reticence that has stymied too much meaningful reform in this state, including the reduction of the number of institutions of higher learning that waste funds with duplicative programs.

Gov. Sanford's budget plan launches this year's new, two-year legislative session. It bolsters essential services by redirecting the state's limited resources and offers surprising economies through a fresh examination of how government services can be streamlined. It seeks strong support for public education, public safety, natural resources and health care. Notably, the governor's budget notes that the approach he has taken is "free from the old-fashioned bureaucracy-driven emphasis on self-preservation."

The executive budget is the most detailed and ambitious ever prepared by a governor, and reflects Mr. Sanford's understanding that the chief executive's role is to provide a statewide perspective. After last year's tough fiscal year and the failure to pass such major legislation as tort reform, there's a welcome sense the governor and the General Assembly are more in harmony as the legislative process begins.