UGA hopes it's hit bottom with budget - Lee Shearer, Online Athens

University of Georgia budget planners trimmed spending by about $150 million over the past two years as state revenue dropped, mainly by letting jobs go unfilled. Georgia tax collections were down 5.8 percent in December from a year earlier, but to Tim Burgess, the number is a reason for hope. It's the smallest monthly decline the state has reported this year; November collections were down more than 16 percent from a year earlier. "Maybe it signals you're getting close to a bottom point," said Burgess, UGA senior vice president for finance and administration.