Barbour Delays Further Budget Cuts

File

Gov. Haley Barbour canceled a press conference this morning at which he was expected to announce additional state budget cuts for this fiscal year.

by Ward Schaefer
February 5, 2010

Gov. Haley Barbour canceled a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. this morning at which he was expected to announce additional state budget cuts for this fiscal year. A press release confirming the cancellation said that Barbour "continues to analyze budget options."

Barbour has cut $437 million for the 2010 fiscal year thus far. He suggested that further reductions were likely after January tax revenues fell 12 percent, or $43 million, below expectations.

"I soon will be forced to look at whether additional cuts will be necessary in the current fiscal year beyond the $437 million in cuts already made," Barbour said in a Jan. 29 statement. "The law requires a balanced budget and I will uphold the law."

Barbour spokesman Dan Turner said that the governor is waiting to determine proper amounts for future cuts.

"There's a number of balls in the air right now," Turner said. "There's little indication that further budget cuts can be avoided. The key is cutting the right amount. Every time you do a budget cut you hope it's the last one you do and you hope you don't cut too deep. It's a careful balancing cut."

Several other factors may influence the shape of future cuts, though. Both the Senate and the House have passed bills that would restore some of the existing cuts to public education, university and public safety budgets, using state reserve funds. There is substantial difference between the two chamber's plans, however. The Senate approved a bill yesterday that would use $45 million from the state's tobacco settlement fund to shore up some agency budgets. The House proposal would take $50 million from the tobacco fund and an additional $50 million from the state's rainy-day fund, which Barbour and state Republicans have vowed to protect from further use this year

Future cuts must also account for roughly $1.7 million that Barbour slashed from state judicial budgets. The state Supreme Court ruled recently that Barbour's cuts to state courts violate the separation of powers between the executive and judicial branches of government.

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