In one of the worst budget years on record, Gov. Mark Sanford's administration has made impressive headway on fiscal reform. Legislators should follow his lead as they prepare for the next session.
Much of the groundwork has been prepared through budget hearings held by the administration and by the governor's Commission on Management, Accountability and Performance. Both have revealed potential economies that state agencies and the Legislature should enact in the next budget cycle, if not before.
Both the administration and the MAP Commission also have recommended proposals for governmental reorganization that would encourage greater fiscal accountability in the future. Adoption of a reorganization plan to give the state's chief executive more responsibility over agency spending is fundamental to meaningful reform.
Budgetary findings cited by Gov. Sanford in a column on our Commentary page show the value of taking a fresh look at agency spending. For example, the state has long maintained a port in Beaufort County even though it does a comparatively small volume of business, and its operation currently costs taxpayers $58,000 a year. The governor has recommended it be closed and the land put to more productive use.
And the cash-strapped Department of Juvenile Justice planned a $450,000 dental facility, even though the Department of Corrections could accommodate their residents at a nearby office. That change, recommended as part of the governor's fact-finding effort, will save the state a substantial sum, with small inconvenience to DJJ.
Other economies have been put into place by the governor's appointees at the Department of Corrections and the Department of Commerce, and more are sought, including the sale of surplus land and a reduction in the state's motor vehicle fleet.
Perhaps no area has as much potential for economy as the state's higher education system, which has too many campuses and too few dollars to support their operation. Gov. Sanford has recommended more accountable oversight for higher education through a board of regents with greater authority than the existing Commission on Higher Education. If the Legislature is serious about using education money to best effect, it will support the governor's plan instead of pushing for more expansion of state-supported colleges and programs.
Major reorganization also has been recommended for state health agencies, to reduce duplication and streamline services. Accountability would be heightened by placing the Department of Education under a gubernatorial appointee, as recommended by the governor, the MAP Commission and the superintendent of education.
As Gov. Sanford notes, the state will begin the year with a $500 million deficit. While that might be viewed as a daunting prospect for legislators, it should serve to concentrate their attention on cost-cutting ideas, including those submitted by the governor and the MAP Commission. An improved spending plan could preclude additional across-the-board cuts and ensure that new revenues are put to the best use when the state's budget picture improves.
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