News-Record.com

The 2008-’09 state budget has many items benefiting the Guilford area. Legislators may need to limit such spending next year if hard times continue.

The Guilford County area has a lot to like about the $21.4 billion state budget for the next fiscal year. There are many goodies tucked into the state’s annual picnic basket of appropriations.

Higher education — and university contractors — benefit the most.

• $42.7 million will be borrowed to construct a classroom building at UNCG.

• N.C. A&T gets $2 million to boost its College of Engineering and $7 million to go toward construction of a $20.49 million classroom building.

• N.C. A&T and UNCG both will benefit from $3 million for their joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering and from $1.8 million for planning for a joint data center.

Other sectors benefit as well.

The High Point furniture market, forced to compete with its counterpart in Las Vegas for buyers’ attention, will receive $1.46 million for marketing and promotion.

Probably the most needed extra our area received was the addition of new assistant district attorney positions for Guilford and Rockingham counties. That should help lighten the heavy loads these public lawyers carry.

The state also is directing more than $3 million to the N.C. Zoo to improve its polar bear exhibit and $600,000 for planning for its African exhibit. A half-million grant goes to Sit In Movement Inc., for the civil rights museum in Greensboro’s Woolworth’s. The Charlotte Hawkins Brown historical site in Sedalia receives $1 million. And $75,000 in funds goes to a John Coltrane Music Hall if the High Point Area Arts Council raises matching funds.

Even the controversial horse park in Rockingham County wasn’t left out. But it had to morph a bit to secure $2.4 million in borrowing for it. It has been combined with N.C. A&T’s request for a horse research facility.

While the state budget will benefit many in the Triad, the largesse leaves us feeling wary. With tight economic times upon us, money should be directed toward essentials, not frills.
To be fair, legislators did curb spending. The state budget grew a little more than 3 percent, a much smaller rate than in many previous years.

But state revenue this year is down $70 million from projections, and the economy doesn’t seem like it will turn around by next year.

The more prudent approach would have been to curtail spending more in order to prevent an even larger revenue gap next year. Legislators also should have shied away from nonessential borrowing, instead putting most of those projects on the ballot.

The Triad and the rest of the state’s regions better enjoy their goodies. It’s likely conditions will force legislators to be more frugal next year.