Ellington

Mississippi Legislators are searching for new sources of revenue to ensure services are not cut to the state's citizens; they want to maintain government operations without raising taxes. Lawmakers say they don't expect a general tax increase, but they are looking at initiating or raising some fees, reports the Sun Herald.

Some state agencies have provided lists to the Legislature of services currently provided for free or at minimal cost. Department of Agriculture Commissioner Lester Spell, for example, says surrounding states charge anywhere from $75 to $200 for the testing required to acquire a landscape architect license, while Mississippi provides the test for free. A similar situation exists for pest and weed control licenses.

The Legislature has been holding budget hearings to determine the exact details of the state's fiscal year 2010 revenue and spending. The legislature approved the broad strokes of the $6 billion budget at the end of the last session, however tax collections continue to decline, as they've done for the past year, and Gov. Haley Barbour has already cut $172 million from the budget. Additionally, millions in funding from the federal stimulus package will end in 2010.