COLUMBIA - One week after completing vetoes to the state budget that takes effect on Tuesday, Gov. Mark Sanford has begun a series of hearings to get input from agencies on the 2004-2005 state budget.

Sanford, who took office in January, plans to meet with agency directors and staff throughout the summer before he begins work on his first executive budget.

By starting the budget process early, Sanford hopes to better understand the needs and priorities of agencies.

"Being a new governor ... you come into the process late," Sanford said Tuesday, the first day of hearings. "What we want to do is start the process early. In fact, it hasn't been done by a governor before, actually holding budget hearings."

The budget process begins when the governor submits a proposal to the General Assembly in December. Lawmakers usually accept the proposal as a formality, but then set it aside to craft their own version.

Legislators spend months on the budget before finishing by the end of the session in June. The final document is sent to the governor to approve or veto those parts he doesn't like.

"One of the reasons, historically, governors' budgets have been ignored in years past is there wasn't that level of detail that went into them," Sanford said.

Sanford met Tuesday with officials from the departments of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, Revenue, and Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

He applauded the cost-cutting measures the parks department has made, such as condensing two travel guides into one and sharing state vehicles. But Sanford said the agency needs to focus more on tourism.

Sanford said the drug abuse services agency also can expect to see changes because he has not seen that the agency does any good.

"We're going to look at creative ways of making sure we're impacting the outcome, because if not, we're wasting taxpayer money," he said.

The budget hearings will continue today when Sanford meets with officials from the departments of Corrections, Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and Juvenile Justice.

Sanford will meet with officials from the State Ports Authority and Santee Cooper on Monday in Charleston, said governor's spokesman Chris Drummond.

More hearings are planned for next month in Columbia.