Georgia DOT spending cuts not sustainable, treasurer says

By Ariel Hart

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The state Department of Transportation cannot continue to operate long term with the spending cuts it has made, its treasurer said Wednesday, as she gave the DOT board dismal news about the next fiscal year.

True, after a year and a half of deficits and critical audits, DOT seems finally to be back in the black. But next year, between declining gas tax revenues and lower interest earnings, DOT is expecting a double whammy from the economy.

In the fiscal year that will begin in July, DOT expects $84 million less from the state gas tax, down from $913 million this year, said the treasurer, Kate Pfirman.

That means there will still be no emergency funding to clear roads in severe weather. Much routine maintenance of roads and bridges will still be on hold, and DOT is buying equipment or vehicles only in an emergency. Under a hiring freeze, the staff has declined from 5,800 workers in 2007 to 5,200, and they’re all taking furloughs one day a month. Roadside weeds and graffiti are out of control.

In the next fiscal year, local airports and rural bus systems would see their state funding shrivel.

“We’re dramatically strapped for funds to run this department, and obviously, to meet the state’s transportation needs,” Pfirman said at the board’s monthly two-day meeting.

Someone asked the former legislators on the board what they thought the chances were for new money from the General Assembly.

Former Rep. Bobby Parham, who now represents the congressional district that includes Savannah, said he would love to think new funding was on the way. “But don’t fool yourself,” he said. “It is bad everywhere, and it is getting worse.”