State Agencies, Schools Ponder Ways to Cut Budgets
By Dave Franzman, Reporter
By
Dave Franzman
Story Created:
Jan 7, 2009 at 5:10 PM CST
Story Updated:
Jan 7, 2009 at 6:10 PM CST
CEDAR RAPIDS- Hiring freezes, travel restrictions and delays in building projects. That's just a partial list of the ways state agencies and school are reacting to Governor Chet Culver's mandatory across-the-board budget cuts.
The Governor ordered a 1.5% reduction in state spending on December 18th. That reduction, along with other cuts, was aimed at cutting $180-million dollars total from the state budget.
Some three weeks after that announcement, many agencies and schools are just now releasing details of how they'll meet that goal.
Governor Culver was in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday for a visit to Kirkwood Community College. The Governor said he knows the mandatory cuts will create problems for all the agencies depending on state funding. But he insisted again the state had no choice.
"We're going to do all we can to protect those priorities especially in the area of public safety, education, health care, renewable energy. But the reality is we're all going to have to sacrifice..." Culver said.
At Kirkwood, administrators will meet Friday to begin the process of deciding where to cut. An earlier reduction in the Grow Iowa Value Fund coupled with the state budget cuts means Kirkwood needs to reduce spending by almost $900-thousand dollars.
Community College President Mick Starcevich said he doesn't have all the details yet--but does have some idea of what it will take. Two big renovation or expansion projects, Linn Hall and Johnson Hall, will get pushed back by a year or more. And hiring freezes along with travel restrictions are a likely possibility too.
"We will be very specific in areas we target. We won't do an across the board cut--I can't expect every department to take an across-the-board cut that is not good education sense." Starcevich said.
Starcevich said Kirkwood already cut the number of printers and copiers available to staff on campus from 900 to 300. Sharing more printers will mean a savings of more than $500-thousand dollars a year. That was a choice made before the Governor's announcement in December. But it will give the school a head start to deal with the new fiscal reality.
More Good Stuff
Conversation Guidelines
Be Kind
Don't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language.
Don't attack someone personally. Keep it civil and be responsible.
Share Knowledge
Be truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about.
What more do you want to learn? Keep it simple.
Stay focused
Promote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic.
Report Trouble
Help us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it.
read the full guidelines here »
Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Violent crime, sexual abuse, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides.
Most Popular >>