The Clarion-Ledger:

Mississippi ended Fiscal Year 2010 the same way it ended Fiscal Year 2009 — by taking in substantially less revenue than had been projected.

State revenue collections in June — the final month of FY 2010 — were down a staggering $54 million or 8.85 percent. That marks the 21st month out of the last 22 in which revenue collections have fallen short of estimates.

On an annual basis in FY 2010, the state General Fund took in 8.28 percent or $405.4 million less than was originally budgeted. During the 2010 year, Gov. Haley Barbour cut a total of $466 million from the General Fund and non-exempt Special Fund state agencies.

Barbour was quick to point out that the budget cuts he made that drew strong criticism during the year were necessary.

Barbour also made budget cuts in the 2009 fiscal year, but the cuts weren’t deep enough and required the state to take $20 million from the so-called “rainy day fund” to close out the budget year.

But unlike 2009, the end of the 2010 budget year has some good news. Barbour said that because the state’s anemic revenue collections weren’t as bad as forecast, the state will have a final balance of $50 million to $60 million.

But Barbour cautioned against much celebration of that fact.

“These funds will be crucial in preparing the budget for FY 2012 and spending for future years, which I expect to be as financially difficult as we saw in FY 2010 and FY 2009. …”

The formula moving forward is familiar and simple. The Legislature will face a third consecutive year of declining state revenues and deeper budget cuts in critical areas like public education, public health care, corrections, mental health and public safety — and all that while a bitter redistricting battle ensues and all lawmakers face voters in statewide elections.

The fact that state legislators will have to tell constituents “no” on budget requests or raise taxes in lieu of additional spending reductions makes for a tough row to hoe. Those problems necessarily will trickle down to local governments as well.

Mississippians have learned that recessions aren’t kind to states that derive 42 percent of General Fund revenues from the sales tax when cash registers aren’t ringing.