By Ashley Speagle
Correspondent
While cutting an additional $1.2 billion from the 2010 budget, Gov. Sonny Perdue said Friday that things are looking up and he estimated there will be a 4 percent increase in the budget for 2011.
In a news conference, the governor announced the amended 2010 and the general 2011 budgets. He sliced about $1.2 billion from the $18.6 billion spending plan for this year. That’s atop $900 million of cuts he made in July.
Among the cuts are 8 percent in education, 4 percent in health, more than 4 percent in public safety and state management and more than 2 percent in state development services.
“The good news is this will not surprise many agencies,” he said.
Still, he ordered teachers and other state employees to take three additional furlough days by June 30, 2010, although the fiscal 2011 budget does not include more furloughs.
“Some agencies can manage cuts without layoffs,” Gov. Perdue said. “For some, it may mean people that have jobs may not have them in the future.”
On Friday, he set the fiscal 2011 budget at about $18.2 billion, estimating an additional $739 million in revenue.
“I think we will obtain that,” he said.
But he still noted that some departments will see cuts from the 2010 to 2011 budget, he said. In 2011, he reduced education by more than 4 percent, health by less than 1 percent, public safety by nearly 2 percent and state management by more than 4 percent.
His proposed budget increases state development services by 5 percent.
Despite projected revenue growth, the loss of one-time funds, such as the federal stimulus funds, will further budget reductions for 2011, he said.
The state will receive its last funds from the stimulus — more than $2 billion — in fiscal 2011.
In his final State of the State address on Wednesday, Gov. Perdue announced an additional $20 million in the 2010 budget and another $50 in 2011. On Friday, he said that money will go to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, which handles the state’s mental health services.
The department was created after a U.S. Department of Justice investigation resulted in orders to improve Georgia’s mental health system.
GEORGIA BUDGET* $1.2 billion cut from current budget, to $17.4 billion* 3 more employee furlough days by June 3o* 4 percent increase estimated for 2011 budget, to $18.2 billion* More cuts to education, health, public safety, state management* 2011 budget includes more than $2 billion in federal stimulus fundsSource: Governor’s office
Legislators will hear from departments this week on how they will be able to manage money and in which areas they can make additional cuts.
“Until the hearings start, there’s no direction to go with the money,” said Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “It won’t be across the board. It will be surgically done.”
The Department of Education faces the largest departmental cuts, with more than $600 million cut from the amended budget and more than $400 million cut from 2011.
Sen. Mullis said that, despite large cuts already made to education, the area is still subject to additional cuts because most of the budgeted money is there.
Gov. Perdue said he will consider legislation that spurs growth and jobs, but he believes the state cannot afford to spend that money this year.