State ‘surplus’ a myth

Georgia needs a reality check.

Our state’s leaders crow about our state’s finances, but a close examination shows concerning trends and years of underinvestment. I would argue that we do not have a surplus in the truest sense. Instead, we have unspent cash.

Our foster care system is in crisis with an $84 million shortfall, meaning our state’s most vulnerable children are being served by a system that’s structurally underfunded. When a key agency must rely on emergency patches or outside grants to keep the lights on, it means the core funding model is broken.

Public education has experienced a dramatic shift of the financial burden from the state to local districts. Specifically, local school districts now cover $2.4 billion in expenses that the state used to fund. This increases local property taxes, widens inequities between wealthy and rural districts, and undermines the constitutional promise of an adequate public education.

Many Georgians are one illness away from financial ruin. Georgia’s high uninsured rate is more than a statistic. This has a major impact on hospitals which are required to treat patients regardless of whether the person is insured or not.  Medical costs for the uninsured is the number one driver of bankruptcies and is a hidden tax on insured families who absorb the cost of uncompensated care. This is what happens when coverage policy doesn’t keep pace with economic reality.

While the state has increased mental health funding, the need exceeds the resources. And public health investments, which help to keep our state’s citizens healthy, have not been a priority until there is a crisis.

Infrastructure, which is critical to economic growth, is aging faster than we repair it. Roads, bridges and transit systems cost more every year — materials, labor, compliance, everything. Meanwhile, much of Georgia’s infrastructure was built decades ago and is now hitting the end of its lifecycle — or is well past it. Deferred maintenance is the most expensive kind of maintenance.

And our Department of Corrections has massive challenges. The commissioner testified at an appropriations committee hearing that if money were not an issue (and of course it is), it would take five years just to get all of the locks in our prisons to work. That’s unacceptable.

We also have a “punishment for creativity” problem. When agencies secure outside grants or philanthropic support to meet urgent needs, they sometimes see their state funding cut in response. That discourages innovation and leaves programs vulnerable when those outside dollars inevitably expire.

Additionally, wars are always inflationary, resulting in dramatic increases in energy costs, which ultimately affect the entire supply chain. True stewardship means knowing not only when to save, but when to invest in the people and infrastructure that keep our state strong.

Now is the time for Georgia to take a fresh look at its priorities and its fiscal health. Our communities, our workforce and our infrastructure is straining under the weight of growth due to shifting cost-sharing, rising inflation and lack of needed reinvestment.

This is a moment for courage, not complacency.  It calls for leadership that recognizes that our reserves are a tool, not a trophy.

Debbie Buckner represents District 137 in the Georgia House of Representatives. Her district includes all of Talbot County and parts of Meriwether, Muscogee and Troup counties. A Democrat, she is the ranking member of the chamber’s Ways and Means Committee. This column was authored with assistance from other members of the Georgia General Assembly and staff from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.