Sanford calls for targeted budget cuts

FLORENCE — Gov. Mark Sanford visited parts of the Palmetto State, including Florence, on Thursday to discuss the impact of across-the-board state agency budget cuts.

According to a release from the governor’s office, the state Budget and Control Board voted last week to cut every state government agency’s budget equally by 3 percent amid budget shortfalls.

Sanford disagreed with the vote, however, and said such budget cuts are bad policy because they do not distinguish between different programs.

“You cannot treat every area of government as if it provides the same amount of value to the taxpayers of this state,” he said.

Instead of an across-the-board approach to the cuts, Sanford said, agencies should be targeted individually.

He acknowledged the economic slowdown that is affecting the entire nation and said as a result, many families are having to make tough choices.

Government should be no different, Sanford said.

“You don’t say we’re going to cut it all equally by 3 percent — the mortgage, the movies, the going out to dinner,” he said. “You say, no, no, no, we’re going to protect the mortgage. We’re going to make sure we pay that thing and we’re going to slow down over here.”

Sanford said if across-the-board cuts are implemented, some important state agencies, like the Department of Public Safety, would suffer. That department’s budget alone would be cut by $2.56 million, and that could have serious real world ramifications.

“It means that some critical response time could be impacted wherein a loved one of yours is on the side of I-95 in a wreck and there’d be a trooper a little bit further away than otherwise would have been the case,” he said. “It could make the difference between life and death.”

State Sen. Hugh Leatherman of Florence, who serves as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, disagreed with Sanford and said a 3-percent cut in a $6 billion budget is manageable for any well-run agency.

“They’re not concerned. I have not had an agency call me and concerned about this,” he said. “Sure, they’ll tighten belts, but that’s what we need to do in tough times. That’s what I do at my house and your house.”

Sanford is calling for the state legislature to come back to Columbia this fall to talk about what agencies’ budgets should and should not be cut. If they don’t, the across-the-board cuts will stand.

Leatherman, though, said returning to session would be a waste of time and taxpayer money.

“My real concern if we get back in session, there’s no limit to what can be taken up,” he said.

“We will not just deal with the budget. We could take up anything and that’s dangerous. That is really dangerous. We could wind up there all summer long at $103,000 a week. I’m not going to do that.”

Sanford also visited Charleston and Greenville on Thursday.