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Cutting Wasteful Government Spending…
To Efficiently Manage Taxpayer’s Hard-Earned Dollars
“It has been my firm belief that government cannot be all things to all people and that the government should only do for citizens what citizens cannot do for themselves. We must create a culture of fiscally-responsible spending with sound conservative principles to be the good stewards of taxpayer dollars Georgians deserve and expect from their elected leaders.”
- Lt. Governor Casey Cagle
CUTTING WASTEFUL SPENDING IN GEORGIA
A Committment to Fiscal Conservatism in State Government
There is no doubt the state of Georgia has been faced with one of the most severe financial crises in its history over the last year. State revenues have fallen for months on end and elected leaders have been forced to make some very difficult decisions relating to spending cuts. In a time of dire need for spending restraint and efficiency, the state government is utilizing every dollar it collects in the best and most effective way to serve the citizens of Georgia.
- Georgia is constitutionally required to balance its state budget. That means the state cannot spend anymore than it takes in. In times where every taxpayer dollar must be strategically utilized to maintain the vital state services, the responsible and proven strategy to effectively manage our state budget is to cut the wasteful spending.
It is times like these where Georgia is reminded of the fiscally conservative principles that have helped create the pro-business environment this state has enjoyed for decades. It is time to take a hard look at how and where taxpayer money is spent, not just in times of economic downturn, but on a daily basis. Families across this state have been forced to stop, re-prioritize and make do with less, and state government needs to follow the same principles in order to be good stewards of state revenue.
Making Georgia's Government Efficient and Accessible
In times of national economic recession state budgets are extremely tight. Lt. Governor Cagle believes controlling wasteful government spending is not just a quick fix to balance a budget, but a long-term commitment. Swift and targeted action is needed to create a culture of fiscally responsible state spending. Taxpayers also deserve transparency and openness to clearly follow what the state is doing with their hard-earned dollars.
Lt. Governor Cagle and the Senate leadership have been focused and diligent to cut waste and find efficiencies in government.
- A “Best Value in Government” Task Force was enacted to meet with every agency and go line-by-line in their proposed budgets to seek practical solutions to better manage agency dollars.
- The state budget was effectively moved from $20.4 billion to $16.8 billion without any cuts to vital services.
- Lt. Governor Cagle helped lawmakers cut spending to state golf courses, set forth a plan to make the state Hall of Fames self-sustaining, and consolidate services in certain departments such as IT Helpdesks and Human Resources divisions.
- Open Georgia, a website portal where taxpayers can research and explore every aspect of state agency spending, was created in order to give everyone the resource to be government watchdogs and hold their state leaders accountable.
- Lt. Governor Cagle saved Georgia $2 million in taxpayer dollars working with the Department of Transportation to sell a rarely-used private jet.
Steady, thoughtful leadership is critical to our states’ fiscal well-being. With that comes a strong need to defend and uphold fiscally responsible policies that all elected officials must be committed to for ensuring a healthy and prosperous Georgia.
RELATED RESOURCES
Click here to view Lt. Gov. Cagle's entire WSB interview on Delayed Georgia Tax Returns from 10/8/09
Associated Document(s): |
Budget In Review 2009 Session.pdf |
| Download Budget in Review document for 2009 Session |