Mississippi budget plan: Spend slightly less in coming year

JACKSON, Miss. (WTOK) – Amid lagging teacher salaries and unsafe bridges, Mississippi legislative leaders are recommending that the state spend slightly less money on state government services during the coming fiscal year.

Budget Committee members met Wednesday. They set a broad outline for spending more than $6 billion during the year that starts July 1. But this is just a starting point.

New legislators take office in January, and they will set final details of the budget.

The plan says many programs would receive about the same amount of money as in the current year.

Education and public safety would see small increases. The plan would leave about $679 million in the rainy day fund.