Governor Barbour to Propose Budget Plan Monday

The legislature will hear Governor Barbour's budget recommendations on Monday afternoon.

Governor Haley Barbour is set to announce his budget proposal for fiscal year 2011 this afternoon. As MPB's Carl Gibson reports, no state agency will be immune from program reductions.

"Now's the time to face up to it and do what's gotta be done."

While the Governor is prohibited by law from cutting Medicaid, he's looking to slash education, corrections and even economic development budgets among others. Barbour says Mississippi's deficit is too big for any agencies to be spared.

"We've got somewhere north of $700 million dollars of either revenue shortfall, disappearing one-time federal money, or new calls on appropriations that we'll have to deal with either by offsetting them or not doing them."

One joint legislative budget committee member says cuts to schools may be unavoidable. Senator Hillman Frazier of Jackson says there's likely no way around cuts to school funding.

"We have a severe economic problem throughout the country, and our collections are down drastically in the state. So it's going to be a very drastic budget presented by both the Governor and by the legislature."

Legislators are also considering consolidation of departments as a money-saving measure. Representative Hank Zuber of Ocean Springs says Mississippi is hurt by wasteful agency spending.

"Who does every agency need their own IT department? Perfect example. I just thought about that. We should have one state IT department. Everyone should be on the same software, everyone should have the same programs. And just that in and of itself would save a lot of money."

Lawmakers say they will also have to accomodate the loss of federal money halfway through the fiscal year as they balance the budget.