On December 5, 2012, the Commonwealth of PA's Secretary of Budget, Charles Zogby, delivered a mid-year report on the 2012-2013 Budget as well as prefaced a bit of what can be expected in the next year's budget process.

Identifying the State's four "cost drivers," that is, corrections, Debt Service, the Department of Public Welfare, and pensions, Zogby asserted that the Corbett Administration is looking very carefully at ways to continue its goal of reducing government spending while not introducing any new taxes at the same time as facing the reality that likely there will be reduced Federal funds coming to the State. Currently at 6%, Zogby said the Corbett Administration is over halfway to the Governor's goal of cutting administrative spending by 10%.

Zogby stated, "I think in many respects, the 13-14 Budget is going to be the most difficult budget that we've had thus far."

Videos:

Part I: An overview of the progress of the 2012-2013 Budget & a look at 2013-2014 Budget development

Part II: Working on the predicate of no new taxes

Part III: "Potentially furloughs & layoffs may be the outcome"

Part IV: "If we just fund these things, then we're talking about zeros for everything else."

Part V: "Don't expect that the State is simply going to backfill any lost Federal dollars."

by Tara Leo Auchey

photo by Natalie Cake