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| C+ | Mississippi |
• Population (rank): 2,910,540 (31)
• Average per capita income (rank): $18,165 (50)
• Total state spending (rank): $16,293,095,000 (30)
• Spending per capita (rank): $5,598 (18)
• Governor: Haley Barbour (R)
• First elected: 11/2003
• Senate: 52 members: 27 D, 25 R
• Term limits: None
• House: 122 members: 75 D, 47 R
• Term limits: None
Mississippi government has never been particularly good at thinking about the future. It showed some movement in this direction in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but the idea of long-term planning has yet to become a part of the administrative culture.
There are modest signs of change. For example, the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER), widely respected for its auditing skills, decided to investigate how well prepared the Department of Mental Health might be for problems 20 years down the road. What's striking isn't the answer; it's the fact that the question has finally been asked.
Mississippi's usual myopia is most evident in the realm of personnel. The state's annual workforce turnover rate is near 16 percent, among the highest in the nation. What's the problem? Embarrassingly low salaries and the traditional reluctance of the legislature to do anything about them. Currently, there are 16,000 state employees who earn less than $30,000 a year. "We're trying to convince the legislators that employees can't afford to work," says John Mulholland, deputy director of the State Personnel Board. He may finally be making some headway. In 2006, the state boosted the salaries of nurses, pharmacists and direct-care workers in mental health and other departments.
A change-resistant legislature has to bear some of the responsibility for the absence of planning when it comes to infrastructure, as well. For several years, state officials have unsuccessfully pushed lawmakers to fund a systematic assessment of the state's buildings. "We would take the existing facilities," says David Anderson, the director of the state's bureau of buildings, "and first, determine if they are programmatically functional, and second, decide if it's appropriate to renovate or upgrade." So far, legislators seem more interested in plugging current leaks than in developing a long-term infrastructure strategy.
It would be unfair to dwell on Mississippi's managerial weaknesses without taking note of the generally effective manner in which it handled the crisis that followed Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005. "Just a few days after the hurricane," says State Fiscal Officer J.K. "Hoopy" Stringer Jr., "I was on a helicopter flying up and down the coast, and for mile after mile, there was nothing left." Under the leadership of Governor Haley Barbour, the state recovered more quickly than most outsiders expected it to.
Beyond dealing with the immediate challenge, Barbour went to great lengths to solicit citizen input. Thousands of people attended more than 50 town hall meetings in the months after Katrina, many coming from towns that had essentially disappeared. Barbour also set up a recovery commission to focus on design issues and appointed Jim Barksdale, former CEO of Netscape, to lead it. Design conferences were held in the 11 worst-hit coastal cities to show residents potential reconstruction ideas and garner input.
As in Louisiana, a major influx of cash followed the destruction. Barbour turned out to be rather adept at soliciting federal assistance. Once the money started to pour in, contractors began rebuilding homes and citizens purchased goods to replace those they had lost. As a result, the state's coffers were soon replenished with sales tax revenues. In 2006, for example, revenues were about $320 million higher than expected. And Mississippi leaders, accustomed to fiscal frugality, generally resisted the temptation to spend this money on projects that could not be sustained on a permanent basis.
To be sure, there are complaints that the state has not spent its billions in federal hurricane aid in ways that maximize help to low-income Mississippians. Officials respond that they will utilize the aid for this purpose, but want to make sure they plan appropriately beforehand. Perhaps, but this issue bears watching, given the state's historic reluctance to spend money for social purposes, and a government culture that has rarely put emphasis on planning.
For additional data and analysis, go to pewcenteronthestates.org/gpp.