COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
What state officials thought would be a budget surplus of $379 million is about $14.7 million short.
Now state programs who were expecting to get money from the surplus won't, because instead of lawmakers putting that money into savings or giving it back to tax payers, they decided to spend it.
The South Carolina Arts Commission thought it had $500,000 coming for grants. Now it doesn't.
The state Farmers Market wanted $1.1 million for operations and marketing. Lawmakers voted to give it to them. Now, they have to take it back.
Same story for the $200,000 lawmakers voted to give to the Southeastern Wildlife Expo. It won't get the money this year.
Governor Nikki Haley vetoed these projects. But the legislature overrode her vetoes and decided to spend the money anyway.
"It's a dangerous situation they put themselves in every year where they spend money they don't have," said Governor Haley.
Haley vetoed $21-million in spending, where if sustained, there would be no deficit.
The legislature overrode most all of Haley's vetoes and promised funding for projects, like $600,000 to fix flooding in Darlington, a problem Senator Gerald Malloy says is killing that part of town.
"That area of town has not grown over the last couple of decades," said Malloy. "Other parts of the county have grown, far exceeding it and obviously I think this is one of the reasons."
Haley warned lawmakers in June that the state couldn't afford to fund these projects. Now groups like the arts and the Southeastern Wildlife Expo have to figure out how to replace the tax dollars the legislature promised.
"We don't do vetoes to give them a hard time," said Haley. "We don't sit there and come out with an executive budget just as a wish list."
"This is to maintain the size of government,"said the Governor. "This is to live within our means and do what every household and every business is doing everyday, which is don't spend what you don't have."
What the state doesn't have right now is the $15 million that would have funded the programs for the Arts Commission, Farmers' Market, Southeastern Wildlife Expo and Darlington flood project.
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