Georgia's state agencies will get about 25 percent less money in June so the state can balance its budget for the year. Governor Perdue lowered the budget estimate for the fiscal year by 247 million dollars. Education will not be effected by the cuts. Instead, the state will use stimulus money intended for 2011 to fill the gap. Bert Brantley is Governor Perdue's spokesperson.
"This is the fourth time that we've reduced the 2009 revenue estimates. As you can see, it's been a really unprecedented economic time. The hit to revenues has been tough and has been the pit that we weren't fully expecting. We had projected certainly a dip but not to this level."Brantley says most state agencies have been preparing for the cuts already. Governor Perdue sent a letter to state lawmakers to inform them of the cuts as Georgia continues to grapple with plummeting tax collections. The Governor lowered the amount the state may spend to keep from running over budget for the fiscal year set to conclude June 30.
