INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO): As his staff prepares to work on a new two-year budget, Indiana Governor Mike Pence is touting the state‘s fiscal stability.

Pence says Indiana‘s strong balance sheet is the reason tens of thousands of new jobs are coming to the state as well as a lower unemployment rate. “The fact that we have the kind of surplus and reserves that people have confidence that we would be able to manage our way through any unexpected downturn is a critical part of our economic development success story in Indiana.”

Pence says having a 100-million dollar surplus and two billion dollars in reserves is the right number but it hasn‘t been easy getting there. He says Indiana‘s month-to-month revenues have been soft and they‘ve had to make some tough choices but he remains proud of Indiana‘s government. “I‘m very proud of our agencies and state employees who tightened their belts and continued to provide exceptional services even while the increases in their budgets were not as much as expected.”

Pence says his team is looking at ways to bring Indiana‘s revenue streams up. He says for him, it‘s all about growth. “It‘s all about promoting Indiana in a way that will continue to invite the kind of investment that is resulting in the growth that we‘re seeing in our state today.”