Legislature tallies budget savings
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 Share on Facebook
CONCORD – The New Hampshire House and Senate have saved $846,000 in their operating budgets without resorting to layoffs, Speaker of the House Terie Norelli said yesterday.
The savings came on a combination of voluntary furloughs, delayed hirings, shifting three jobs to part-time status and a decision to leave four jobs vacant through fiscal year 2011.
Gov. John Lynch asked the legislative branch to find savings as part of a $25 million cut in personnel cuts called for in the 2010-11 budget.
Norelli said workers took 215 unpaid, voluntary furlough days during the summer and early fall, saving $44,000. The bulk of the savings were in leaving positions unfilled either for several months or for the rest of the biennium, she said.
Taken with other cuts in legislative branch spending, Norelli said, the Legislature has turned back to the state treasury $3.5 million out of the funds budgeted for its operations since fiscal year 2008.
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It's very interesting that the Legislature was able to accomplish their share of the $25m in general fund personnel reductions through these means.
It is an example of the creative and efficient approaches that should have been available to meet the Executive Branch's portion (what Goernor Lynch wanted from the State Employees). And it does demonstrate that given the chance to take voluntary furloughs, employees would participate -- something we believed in all along.
I'm very happy that Legislative employees were provided this kind of sound solution to the budget reduction. I only wish my co-workers and I would have been given such consideration.
- Diana Lacey, Belmont