Budget Secretary Charles Zogby Monday told the Pennsylvania Press Club the Corbett Administration’s top priority for this year’s budget will be pension reform, but quickly listed transportation funding and liquor privatization as important.

He said the budget proposal will “continue to challenge us to think differently as to how best to meet the public’s needs and deliver on the core functions of state government.”  The Governor will unveil his proposal February 5.

Asked about the Governor keeping his no-tax increase pledge, Secretary Zogby said voters made it clear in electing Corbett they did not want to see an increase in taxes on Pennsylvania families.

He said the Corbett Administration did the tough work over the last two years of ringing out efficiencies, making cuts, sifting through choices of the must-haves and the nice-to-haves, saying it was a worthwhile exercise.

“Inheriting a mess, Gov. Corbett got to work getting our state’s fiscal house in order. We clearly have today a state budget this is leaner, more agile than when we found it a couple of years ago,” said Secretary Zogby.  “There’s a lot of things that have gone away in terms of funding that, frankly, I don’t think the world has missed too much.  The sun still rises in the morning, it sets in the evening and we go about our business.

“We’re at the point that with a healthy balance sheet we begin to look at where we can make investments, where we can grow state services in a way that’s sustainable going forward.”

January State Revenue Down, Still Up For Year

Pennsylvania collected $2.3 billion in General Fund revenue in January, which was $18.8 million, or 0.8 percent, less than anticipated, Secretary of Revenue Daniel Meuser reported Friday. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $14.6 billion, which is $152.7 million, or 1.1 percent, above estimate.

DEP’s Budget Shrinking

In an attempt to make up for drastic reductions in General Fund support for environmental protection efforts, DEP adopted a series of permit fee increases totalling about $26.5 million over the last four years. Click Here for background on DEP’s budget situation.

NewsClips:
Pension Reform Tops Governor’s Budget Priorities

Corbett’s Budget Proposal To Require Pension Changes

Budget Battle Lines Drawn In Harrisburg

Corbett’s Budget To Affect State Employee Pensions

Zogby To Retirees: No Pension  Cut Worries

Corbett To Play Hardball On Pension Reform

Pension Reforms Badly Needed Panel Says

Baer: State Worker Pension Reform, No Will, No Way

Poll Numbers Not Corbett’s Only Problem

Top Senate Republican Objects To Linking Budget Issues

Senate Leader Doesn’t Want To See Linkage Of Budget Issues

Corbett Getting Resistance From Senate GOP Leaders

Corbett To Propose Flat Funding For Higher Ed

Scarnati Urges Quick Approval Of Transportation Funding Plan

Corbett Touts Private Funding Of Transportation

Corbett Wants $1.9 Billion From Gas Tax To Fund Transportation

Transportation Fund To Be Key Part Of Corbett Budget

Column: Pension Agency CEO Salary Blasted

Municipalities Largely Forgotten In Pension Fights

State Pension Board Made Expensive Hedge Fund Bet

Corbett Budgeting To Train Hundreds Of State Troopers

Corbett: Shell Tax Breaks To Expand Manufacturing

Corbett: Shell Not Consider Other Sites For Cracker

Shell Posts $5.6 Billion Quarterly Profit

2/4/2013