photo by Ben Hillyer

Mississippi Sen. Deborah Dawkins speaks to a relaxed crowd of about 45 people during a public information forum at The Natchez Manor Monday night.

Senators talk budget in Natchez

By Jennifer Edwards (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Tuesday, November 17, 2009

NATCHEZ — With money running short, several Mississippi senators say the coming months will be very political.

During a public forum Monday night in Natchez about the current budget woes, five Mississippi senators discussed the proposed budget released by Gov. Haley Barbour Monday as well as other cost-cutting methods that will be discussed for the next fiscal year budget.

Sen. Deborah Dawkins, D- District 48; Sen. Bob Dearing, D-District 37; Sen. Jack Gordon, D-District 8; Sen. John Horhn, D-District 26 and Sen. Willie Simmons, D-District 13 answered audience questions and gave their opinions on what needs to be done to scale back the state’s budget.

The legislature is expected to release its own budget in December.

Photo by Ben Hillyer

State senators John Horhn, Willie Simmons, Jack Gordon and Deborah Dawkins listen to a question at Monday night public information forum at the Natchez Manor Monday night.

“I think we are going to have a really exciting session,” Gordon said. “This is one that is really going to separate the Republicans from the Democrats, and those Democrats that have been playing with the Republicans, they are going to be Democrats again.”

Barbour’s proposed budget includes drastic reform in the structure and funding of education including a proposal that would consolidate the state’s eight universities into five.

That proposal, if passed, would combine Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University with Jackson State University to eliminate administrative costs as well as duplicate academic programs.

The proposal also called for the merger of Mississippi University for Women with Mississippi State University.

The governor’s proposed budget includes the reduction of the state’s public school districts from 152 districts to 100 districts.

Gordon said under the governor’s plan, districts that are struggling would be merged with better performing districts. Horhn criticized the governor’s budget cuts as extreme.

“The long and short of it is, if there is a tough way to do it, then the governor found it,” he said. “This is going to be one of the most political years since I’ve been in the senate.”

Horhn also said the governor’s proposal calls for the closure of all the state’s mental health facilities, excluding the facility in Grenada County.

During the budgeting process, Simmons said typically the governor’s budget isn’t given much consideration, but with the current budget constraints, all options are being explored.

“When the governor comes with this type of proposal you have to give it some thought,” Simmons said. “There are some things that we truly need to talk about.”

The state has 28 sources of revenue, with the top producer being sales tax, followed by individual income tax and corporate income tax. However Gordon said no tax increases are expected to be passed to bolster the budget.

“It is safe to tell the people that there will be no tax increases, so whatever we do, will have to come through cuts,” Gordon said.

Gordon said a 1 percent increase in sales tax would generate approximately $750 to 800 million a year, but any attempt to pass a tax increase would be vetoed.

Dearing said the important thing to remember is that the governor’s budget is just a proposal.

“We are in unusual times and these unusual times are going to call for some unusual things,” he said. “Some are going to make you happy, some are going to make you unhappy and some are going to make you mad as heck, but probably none of them are going to pass.”

The forum at Natchez Manor Monday night was part of a series of community forum’s the business hopes to sponsor.