THE GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE PROJECTReport Card: Mississippi FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: B Mississippi used to spend revenues as fast as they came in—sometimes faster. But the Budget Reform Act of 1992 has helped to get spending back into line (aided, of course, by a strong economy). The Act requires that budgets can't exceed 98 percent of estimated revenues, plus the unencumbered general fund balance. As a result of the Act, there is a balance in the state rainy day fund equal to 7.5 percent of prior year appropriations. Some of the state's agencies have more flexibility to manage their budgets than others. But without legislative approval, most agencies cannot move more than 10 percent of their money from one line-item to another. Revenue estimates, which have been pretty close in recent years, have to be adopted through a joint agreement between the governor's office and the legislature. The legislators can, however, revise the estimate when they're in session. Fortunately, they've been reasonably cautious when making revisions. The state's debt burden is within comfortable limits, and investment processes are good, with performance targets and frequent reporting requirements in place. Though the state doesn't have a formal fiscal notes process, the legislative budget office and state tax commission do provide fiscal notes on request. CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: B The state has good information about its capital investments. The Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management conducts an annual study of capital needs at every state institution and submits a report to the legislative budget office. The report includes condition assessments and estimates of the cost of repairs and major renovations. Each year, these assessments become part of the state's five-year capital plan, which helps Mississippi to balance the desire for new buildings against the need to keep up old ones. In years past, a great deal of maintenance was deferred, and Mississippi is in catch-up mode. In 1998, however, maintenance of buildings was squeezed out of the budget by other priorities—teacher pay raises, for example. So, out of $25 million in estimated maintenance needs, the legislature provided only about $5 million. The previous year was far better, with $31 million out of $40 million allocated. HUMAN RESOURCES: C+ In part to overcome its segregated past, Mississippi in the 1980s developed a rigidly controlled hiring system. Every new hire in the executive branch had to be pre-screened by the centralized personnel board staff. Now that the state has a more diverse workforce, it's providing more flexibility. It has eliminated certified lists where there are job shortages and where workforce diversity is deemed accomplished. Some job classes in mental health are an example. About half the state's jobs require written tests—others are rated on experience and education. That's good. However, there are some 175 different exams used for jobs that still require testing. Managerial training is relatively strong. A four-day introductory management training program for supervisors has been instituted, and its graduates can move on to a Certified Public Managers Program. Employees can be rewarded for increasing education levels or getting professional certification—up to 5 percent of their pay. Pay for performance is allowed, but the legislature hasn't funded it as yet. MANAGING FOR RESULTS: C This is a state that needs a champion—either in the governor's office or in the legislature—to give its managing-for-results effort a jump start. In 1994, legislation required that all agencies submit five-year strategic plans and performance measures along with their budget requests. The state does little training or follow-through on the plans, though, and their quality varies widely. There is no entity-wide strategic plan. Similarly, output measures are plentiful, but for many agencies, creating results-oriented measures will take considerably more effort. Right now the whole process is lethargic, with the joint legislative budget office happy to give assistance if asked, but no one actively pushing laggard agencies to do better. Some legislators fear that performance information—such as educational test scores—can be misinterpreted and misused. Program evaluation is well done by the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee, a respected 25-year-old evaluation and oversight body. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: C- Mississippi's automated accounting system doesn't provide much in the way of reports or useful information for managers. However, there is a data warehouse from which information can be easily accessed. The state's new human resources system was designed to export data to the warehouse. Centralized IT management in the state concerns itself primarily with statewide systems such as the data center and a backbone network that provides video support. There is no standardization of non-mainframe software and almost no agency oversight. Mississippi doesn't have an integrated e-mail system, although many staffers do have access to the Internet. There's no central control over IT training, and when the state does offer classes, they are often under-enrolled. Agency plans for information technology go out three years. They are reviewed mostly just to make sure they conform to the budget. The statewide plan contains very little realistic planning beyond one year. The process of procuring major assets in the information field can take up to eight or 10 months; if vendors protest, that can add another three to six months. AVERAGE GRADE: C+
GOVERNORMain introduction page | Governing home page
Copyright © 1999, Congressional
Quarterly, Inc. |