Prominent University of Tennessee economist William Fox on Friday told state leaders he expects Tennessee's tax collections to grow 4 percent during the next budget, with growth split evenly between inflation and a rise in output. But it doesn't sound like the governor is putting all his eggs in that basket.

"The economy feels a little more nervous out there than what the statistics were showing. To me, it just doesn’t feel like we’re growing that fast when I talk to businesses out there,” he told reporters after he left the State Funding Board meeting Friday, adding that his evidence is anecdotal next to economists’ statistics.