Total state tax collections were up 20% over estimates for April and 3.1 % for May. That鈥檚 leading the state budget director to revise her projections for a budget surplus for the close of the fiscal year at the end of this month.

In March, Gov. Mike DeWine鈥檚 budget director Kimberly Murnieks turned out to be a little off in saying the two-year budget cycle would end with a surplus of $845 million.

She says now it鈥檚 actually better than she predicted: Revenues are running 3% over forecasts. For the full two-year period, Murnieks says, "we are currently over original projections by just around a billion dollars.鈥�

Murnieks said her office is now updating final projections, but doesn鈥檛 have those numbers yet. She said she hopes they will convince lawmakers to keep DeWine鈥檚 budget investments.

Legislative researchers had suggested a much less rosy forecast, and recommended cutting the spending in DeWine鈥檚 budget by 25%.