RN-T.com – ANALYSIS Surplus isn’t necessarily a windfall

ATLANTA — Reports out of California last week recounting a dispute between officials about the size of the state’s budget surplus spawn the obvious question about a fiscal bonus here.

The states of Georgia and California will both end this fiscal year with a surplus, and governors in each are counseling legislators not to start dreaming up plans to spend the loot.

Even though Gov. Nathan Deal built this surplus into Georgia’s budget, he still ordered all state agencies except the Department of Education to cut their spending midyear by 3 percent. Then he started with that 3 percent reduction in constructing next year’s fiscal blueprint.

He sounded the alarm early in the fiscal year when tax collections proved weaker than hoped. He still expected a surplus as the economy continues to improve, only it didn’t appear on track to be as big of one as he wanted.

“In the hard times, restraint is a matter of necessity. In the good times, it is a matter of discipline,” Deal said, adding that he’ll ensure legislators don’t go overboard with new spending in the future.

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