Continuing budget problems will face governor-elect

ATLANTA - On only his second day as Georgia&#39;s governor-to-be, Sonny Perdue learned Thursday he will inherit a government with continuing budget problems. A report showed tax collections were down again in October for the 15th dip in 16 months. <br> <br> Moments before the revenue report was released, Hank Huckaby was appointed as Perdue&#39;s transition budget director. <br> <br> Huckaby said, ``Clearly, there are really critical budget issues that Governor Perdue is going to have to deal with. We&#39;re just in the early stages of beginning to get a handle on the revenue numbers.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Huckaby was state budget director for Democratic Governor Zell Miller. <br> <br> Huckaby, senior vice president for finance at the University of Georgia, has been loaned to Perdue for six months. <br> <br> Thursday&#39;s report by the revenue department showed tax collections were down $58.3 million, or 5.3 percent, for October in comparison to October collections a year ago. For the four months since the fiscal year began July first, collections are down $277.5 million, or 6.6 percent. <br> <br> Henry Thomassen, the state&#39;s economist, said there were some positive indications behind the numbers, saying, ``We&#39;re still on the bottom but we&#39;re not headed down. If anything, we&#39;re starting up.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> While Perdue visited a middle school in DeKalb County and made plans for a seven-city victory tour tomorrow, his campaign also announced that planning has begun for the inauguration of Georgia&#39;s first Republican governor since 1872. <br> <br> Co-chairing the committee will be south Georgia businessman Alec Poitevint, a longtime Republican activist who was treasurer of the Republican National Committee, and Nancy Coverdell, widow of the late Senator Paul Coverdell.