Money, or the lack thereof, was a topic for Monday's meeting of the Lauderdale County Council of Governments.

Elected officials heard an update on the state budget process form state Rep. Greg Snowden. He said the state has no choice but to make cuts in a lot of areas because revenue is down.

Snowden said federal stimulus money will soften the blow, but all areas will feel the pinch.

"We have to make a responsible realistic budget. We're going to have to tighten our belts. We're going to have to make some cuts," said Snowden.
"Above all, we're going to have to hold back, in my opinion, some money to look at next year and the following year because we're in a multi-year problem. It's not going to go away in one year. And we have to plan prudently and responsibly over the next several years to get this done."

Lawmakers have not yet finalized a fiscal 2010 budget.

Snowden said he thinks the cuts in both K-12 and higher education will be less than other state agencies. He called this the worst budget time for Mississippi in at least 20 to 30 years.