Governor Barbour Warns of Tough Times Ahead

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour warned of tough times ahead as he took to the airwaves last night to discuss declining revenues and statewide budget cuts. MPB’s Phoebe Judge reports.

The Governor addressed Mississippi and answered caller questions during a 30 minute live broadcast from the MPB’s studios, and warned citizens that things are likely to get worse before they get better.

“We need to understand that it can’t be business as usual going forward.”

Earlier this month the Governor cut $172 million dollars from the state’s overall $6 billion dollar budget because of declining tax revenues. While many state agencies received a 5% budget cut earlier this year, this round of cuts included the education system. Those education spending cuts were the main topic of discussion and put the Governor on the defensive after a call from Oxford,

“I really feel Governor that it would have been a courageous gesture for you to go somewhere like West Tallahatchie county and announce these education spending cuts, because taking 5 % from those folks will really hurt a lot of people who need a tremendous amount of help.”

Governor Barbour responded by pointing out that even with the cuts, education spending is still $20 million dollars more than it was last year because of stimulus funds, and that education is always the number one priority,

“However they can’t be immune from controlling the budget. So when the highway patrol is taking cuts and the department of health is taking cuts, the ones that had already been cut by five percent I exempted.”

The legislative budget committee will begin holding hearings next week to discuss next year’s budget. House committee member Cecil Brown,

“It’s going to be tough. The state can’t print money. We don’t have the ability to have a deficit budget situation, and so if there is no money we can’t do the things that people are asking us to do. We are just going to have to ride it out until there is more money.”

The Governor says it may be four years until things get back to normal with the state revenue and the budget. He concluded last night’s program by asking Mississippians to leave their suggestions on his website about ways the state can tighten its belt until things start to turn around.