TIFTON — State elected representatives honored Monday morning with a breakfast at the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce told the room packed with people that tough economic times will continue through the next legislative session and call for more cuts to the budget.

State Representative Austin Scott (R-Tifton), State Representative Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla) and State Senator John D. “Dickey” Crosby (R-Tifton) discussed issues of concern with those who attended.

Scott, who is running for governor, said that state revenues for October were down 17.5 percent.

“Anyone who tells you we are putting more money in aren’t telling you the truth,” Scott said. “The money is simply not there to do what we have done in the past.”

Scott said budgets will have to be cut more and that he would like for the state to find more “entrepreneurial ways to do things.”

“We are not in a good position,” Roberts said. “We are looking at 2003 and 2004 funding levels with 1.5 million more people. With added growth comes bigger demand for services.”

Roberts said that even with the budget cuts of the past, the state used its reserve funds last year.

“This year, we don’t have any reserves,” Roberts said. “We are looking at closing down some programs.”

When asked, Roberts said he wouldn’t discuss which state programs might be cut, saying that legislators were “going through the budget as we speak.” He said that some agencies might be combined to reduce the number of staff needed. He said that he would like to see budgets created from “zero” rather than a 10 percent across-the-board cut to state departments and agencies.

“It makes you go in there and re-evaluate the programs,” Roberts said.

Crosby, who was first elected to the Senate last year, thanked Scott and Roberts for their assistance and said that it was humbling to be the newest senator.

Crosby said that with the thousands of brutal crimes being committed, such as the abduction, torture and killing of children, he would like to see the justice system move faster.

“One thing I hope is to come up with some system to move along the death penalty cases,” Crosby said. “Law enforcement does a good job and many times, people are on death row for many years. I hope we can set a precedent in Georgia to get back to law and order.”

When Scott was asked what programs are in place to make state agencies more effective, he replies that there really aren’t any. He said he was in favor of moving more of the management decisions of the agencies to the local level of government.

“The key to the entrepreneurial sprit is putting in the right people, shifting the decision-making down and holding them accountable,” Scott said.

The state’s income tax collections are down, Scott said, but a “Fair Tax” is not the answer. He said that the state would need a 6 percent increase in sales tax to equal the loss of the income tax collections. He said that if the state continued to go up on state sales tax, people would buy from merchants who didn’t charge sales tax, such as those on the Internet.

“As we continue to go up on state sales tax, we’ll continue to drive customers to buy where they don’t have to pay taxes,” Scott said.

Scott said legislators were talking about increasing payroll taxes by 8 percent/

“The economy is not going to return until people stop talking about taxing people who are hiring people,” Scott said.

When asked if the Georgia Agrirama, which had a 30 percent cut in the last state budget, could expect more cuts, Roberts responded.

“There is going to be a bigger demand to see people more self-sufficient,” Roberts said. “We are looking now at going to privatization of the state parks.”

Roberts said “transportation is about economic development in South Georgia.”

“Up north, it’s about congestion relieve and how to get there going 85 MPH,” Roberts said.

Roberts said that south Georgia would lose three or four representatives in the House after the 2010 Census and the re-apportionment of legislative districts that would follow.

“I think it is important to have someone from rural Georgia in the governor’s office and that’s why I ask all of you to support him (Scott),” Roberts said.

When discussing education, Scott said the had an idea he called the “90-90-90” plan. He said that 90 percent of public schools in the state had a majority of minority students, that 90 percent of schools had students who qualify for free or reduced lunches and 90 percent of the students who attended public schools have passed standardized tests. He said that he would like to implement a program that would pair the principals at the successful schools with the principals of schools having difficulties and reward the schools for their improved performance.

“I think leadership at the individual schools is key,” Scott said.



To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.