Gov. Mark Sanford will begin a summerlong series of state budget hearings today as he meets with top officials from three state agencies.

Sanford said this is the first time in more than 15 years that a governor has sought input from agencies at the front end of the yearlong budget process.

"When you're looking for ways to maximize the impact of each dollar we spend on the taxpayer's behalf, the earlier you bring folks to the table in that effort, the better off you're going to be," Sanford said in a statement.

The governor submits a budget proposal to the General Assembly in December. Typically, lawmakers accept the proposal, but ignore it to craft their own document. Once legislators finish their work on the spending plan in late May or early June, the finished document goes to the governor, who can veto parts of it and keep parts of it.

But Sanford hopes to have greater impact on the process.

He plans to use the hearings as a way for state agencies to better understand his priorities and for him to better understand agencies' needs and programs.

Today, Sanford meets with officials from the departments of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services; Parks, Recreation and Tourism; and Revenue.

On Wednesday, the governor meets with officials from the departments of Corrections; Probation, Parole and Pardon Services; and Juvenile Justice.

Spokesman Chris Drummond said Sanford will travel to Charleston on Monday to meet with the State Ports Authority and Santee Cooper, the state's Public Service Authority. More hearings will be scheduled in Columbia in July.