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Make Budget Correction Early

By the time the general election rolls around in early November, both Bill Cole and Jim Justice may have begun to wonder whether they should have had their heads examined before filing to run for governor of West Virginia.

Either Cole, the Republican president of the state Senate, or Justice, Democrat and billionaire owner of The Greenbrier, will become governor early next year. It has become clear the most discouraging, challenging task the new chief executive will face is balancing the state budget.

Almost beyond doubt, the budget signed into law by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin earlier this month is hardly worth the paper on which it is printed.

Legislators approved a $4.187 billion general revenue fund budget, based on estimates by Tomblin of the amount of revenue the state is expected to receive during the fiscal year that begins Friday.

But Cole, during a visit to Wheeling last week, said he believes the revenue estimate may have been $300 million too high. He probably is not far from the truth.

Final figures on revenue for the current year should be available by the end of next week. In all likelihood, they will indicate actual revenue — not including emergency transfers — of somewhere around $4.070 billion. There are reasons to believe the state will collect even less than that next year.

If Cole is right, the state’s budget will, in reality, be out of balance almost from day one of the new fiscal year.

Tomblin should not dump the mess on his successor. As soon as a lack of revenue becomes apparent, he should order spending cuts to make up for the deficit — even if that is on Aug. 1, one month into the new fiscal year. Leaving the tough order to Justice or Cole would be a disservice to them — and the entire state.

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