Budget updates

Today’s conference by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute was perfect timing given the press conference by Governor Perdue and the release of the his budget. House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin and Senate Appropriation Chair Jack Hill were introduced by Alan Essig as understanding that the budget is “more than just about the numbers”. Harbin compared our economy to a “piece of modern art with its nose of out of place”, and warned that there will be more cuts. Harbin doesn’t believe that taxes should be raised to balance the budget, and that the state will need to take a close look at its priorities and carefully choose what’s important. Senator Hill gave the expansion at Ft. Benning, the new Kia plant, and the recent move of NCR to Georgia, as reasons to be optimistic. He said that he wishes we had oil wells and natural gas in the state but that we are in a great position to recover. Leaders are looking for ways to save money, and he pointed to possible savings through more efficiency in the healthcare of our prison population as just one area to look at.

Commission Shelp of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities said his department is one without boundaries and that everyone is a stakeholder. The Department’s new Coordinating Council is looking for ways to partner with leaders and members of the community to look for areas where services overlap so they can leverage resources. He says people are more willing to invest in success than in failure and is looking to create ways to make service delivery more successful.

During the conference, the governor’s budget was released. Right now on the DD side, it looks like there are 150 services for transitioning individuals out of institutions. We will verify the details and let you all know as soon as we can what action steps to take. The legislature is adjourned next week but will hold Appropriation meetings and departments will give their presentations to the committees.

We'll keep you posted.- Rita