Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Wanted: your ideas on cutting budget waste

Ok, so a reporter can only find out so much about waste in state government. That's where you come in, especially if you are a state employee. What's being wasted at your department, or a department you do business with or otherwise know about? If you were advising Gov.-elect Martinez, where would you tell her to cut?
Be specific, and I could use your ideas in an upcoming story.

Write your ideas for trimming the budget in the comment section below or email me.

4 comments:

  1. For instant savings, ditch the TSA.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Medicaid DD waiver program has some fat that could stand to go: cut the line item (T2028) Goods & Services [will save nearly $4M a year; same program, cut non-medical transportation - it was a good idea that has been nothing but abuse [will save another $1M or so]. Well, that's more than 1% of the $400M shortfall... if every state employee [yep, I'm a state employee] offered up 1% of the shortfall, we'd be back to square in no time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. And while we're at it, let's have a look at the so-called maintenance countracts and the leases for the fleet of state vehicles. Some of our lease vehicles are exhorbitantly expensive - the state is paying in excess of what you or I would pay to lease the same car. Same with vehicle maintenance contracts. The state pays grossly inflated prices for work that is often shoddy and sometimes not done at all.

    There seems to be little to no oversight in purchasing. Employees often spend HOURS getting numerous bids and WEEKS waiting for purchase orders to get approved for necessary, but inexpensive items (< $20) that could be handled more expediently through the use of petty cash. When we're talking about a computer cable or a bulb for a projector, it's CRAZY to wait weeks for it.It's a waste of time and energy.

    In my office we already pay for our own business cards, and buy our own legal pads, pens, pencils and highlighters. Yet, it's a miracle when we have adequate paper in the copier.

    It just seems that the state will step over a dollar to pick up a dime.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete