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Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.
CARSON CITY — As the state looks to save every nickel, fewer state employees might have private offices in the future and may be working out of cubicles.
There also may be fewer managers to oversee those employees.
Agencies may have to cut spending on subscriptions and periodicals, and taking home state vehicles could be limited.
Those are some of the proposals developed by the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission (SAGE) and the Legislative Committee on Base Budgets. The upcoming Legislature will have to deal with a deficit of at least $1.2 billion and probably more.
One recommendation of SAGE is that state employees use less office space. SAGE member Tim Ruffin of Reno said the goal is for the state to use 25 percent less space in five years.
“Some people don’t need an office,” he said, referring to those who work out of their homes or are on the road a lot. He said he toured Hewlett Packard in Reno and everyone had a cubicle instead of a private office.
SAGE is also recommending consolidating state agency website management. Individual agencies have created websites that have led to redundancy of personnel tasks and increased costs. The cost savings in one year could be up to $500,000.
The panel is also recommending that office leases be conducted by one agency. SAGE Chairwoman Carole Vilardo said eight agencies are negotiating their own leases when there are experts in the state Division of Buildings and Grounds.
“Why duplicate when we don’t have the money?” Vilardo asked.
But SAGE found that agencies are doing a good job in negotiating leases below the market level. “I don’t’ see a lot of inefficiencies in real estate,” said SAGE member John Restrepo of Las Vegas.
The Legislative Committee on Base Budgets, meanwhile, wants the 2011 Legislature to look at possible cutbacks on spending by agencies for subscriptions and periodicals that totals about $2.2 million a year.
In another area, employees are authorized to take home 341 state vehicles, excluding Nevada Highway Patrol and Division of Parole and Probation vehicles. Legislative fiscal experts say there is little oversight on allowing these vehicles to be taken home at night. But they said that sometimes the vehicles are less likely to be vandalized at employees’ homes than if parked at the state agency at night.
The committee also said an undetermined amount of general fund savings may be realized by increasing employee-to-manager ratios and eliminating manager positions in agencies funded with general fund appropriations.
Different agencies have different employee-to-manager ratios. For instance, the field staffs of state Division of Welfare and the Department of Motor Vehicles use a 10-1 ratio. The state Department of Corrections has a 12-1 ratio.
SAGE is sending its recommendation to Gov. Jim Gibbons and Vilardo said she is sharing proposals with Gov.-elect Brian Sandoval.
SAGE....
Oxymoronic acronym.
Did I read this right, after all of its work the panel has identified possible savings of $500,000 over 5 years? And we could cut magazine subscriptions down by an as yet unspecified amount from $2,200,000 per year. That's it? That is the fat which can be trimmed from the state budget?
Could probably save more by eliminating sage.
Again, Nevada, the "Battle Born State" that ranks bottom in education(or brains), has come up with more chasing its tail solutions to its suggested Dead on Arrival Budget CUTS.
For over 40 years, Nevada has turned down the sustainable tax revenue offered by the legal and existing for over 100 years, brothel industry. Where is the accountability in that???? Billions upon billions of tax dollars escaped thanks to NEVADA LAWMAKERS AND THEIR SPECIAL INTERESTS!!!!!!
Nevada Lawmakers could have helped Nevada and failed last February by taxing the brothel industry (for over ONE BILLION DOLLARS a year!)Here is the public record/evidence from the 2010 February Nevada State Legislature Senate Journal, look at pages 4 (the Lawmakers avoiding taxing the brothels), and pages 38 & 39 dialog:
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/26th2...
Please contact your Nevada State Representative and communicate to them what YOU EXPECT, preferably, to simply tax the brothel industry, which does not directly impact you other than IMPROVING Nevada's tax income and improving services across the board for all Nevadans!
This is not about political parties, this is about improving the quality of life for all the people living here in Nevada. Thank you.
In order to tax brothels, the state legislature would have to acknowledge that prostitution is legal in Nevada. I think this is an uncomfortable relationship - as long as legislators can ignore brothels, they don't have to face the moral, ethical, and political issues of legal prostitution. I don't think taxation of brothels will ever happen and, if it does, I don't think it will be the tax windfall imagined.
I don't disagree with any of the SAGE proposals but they won't come close to making-up the shortfall. Other states can make fairly significant cuts without impacting services because they are working with larger budgets to start. Nevada's problem is that we have traditionally underfunded state programs. There is no, or little, fat to cut - we are down to the bone.
The anti-tax people have had their way in this state for decades. Now that our traditional fat cows are struggling, we need to find tax dollars somewhere else whether short- or long-term.
SAGE had the opportunity to look at all options and this is all they could come up with. That should tell you that the bones have been picked clean. Nobody wants to pay more taxes but I don't see any other options - at least until the economy turns around . . . if it ever does.
Jeremy Aguero was outstanding in his explaination of the state's budget deficit the other night on Face to Face. State employees will have to continue with the furlough program in addition to no raises or longevity pay and further attack on their health and retirement benefits. This is the "shared sacrifice" that you hear Steve Hill of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the boys at the NPRI talk about so fondly. They are using this as the golden opportunity to declare war on public employees. One can only hope they remeber that the cities and counties are in a whole different league than state employees are who have never had collective bargaining and are significantly behind in many areas.
But that's alright, because that's not going to put much of a dent in the matter and there will be further cuts in spending... there just has to be. I also honestly believe the $1 billion in taxes implemented last session will need to be continued. Time will tell how that one shakes out, but I don't believe they can get "there" with out it.
Let's hope there's an honest discussion of our tax structure, but history tells us once the hole is filled with real or theoretical funds, the can gets kicked down the road.
If units of government were ran like businesses, then we would not be having this discussion...
Great Job! Only 1.450 Billion dollars to go. Maybe we can use single-ply toilet paper in state buildings. That'll save another $30,000. Then use #1 pencils-that will save $50 in erasers. Then [suggested by my former boss a few years ago] reuse paper clips. That will get us down another $35.00 a year. And so it goes.
Look gang, you can only cut the budget 3.4 billion [i.e. 50%] by cutting the budget 50%. Unless you raise taxes [or fees or whatever you want to call them.]
That means 50% of schools, 50% of health care, 50% of everything else. Actually it is more like 60% because you cannot cut the debt repayments without going bankrupt. Is that the kind of state we want?
C'mon show us the budget in writing already so we can see what is up. Show the two column: income [without any tax increases and without re-authorizing the "temporary taxes" and without the ferderal aid that the baggers in Washington won't be sending us. Then the expenses. Make them be equal. Show it to us already. Then we can discuss what to do.
LarryVegas,
I don't want my government ran like business thank you. And if you are not aware of what I mean I suggest you educate yourself with a civic course or two... then come have a thoughtful discussion.
I don't put much stock in your tired right-wing talking memo points.
Business doesn't have Child and Family Services, business doesn't have Parole and Probation, business doesn't have Health and Human Services... I could go on and on. While I'm convinced you can't run government like a business and you shouldn't try, I do think certain aspects of government can be run more "business like". Government doesn't make anything or market it's products. Government's labor costs are in excess of 80% and no business could survive that, but government is people and service intensive.
I know... the haters will say , "What service?"... but you're right ronster, I don't want government run like a business either.
Of course, Liberals don't want government ran like a business. A business has have to be successful or fail.
Governments, they just fail the people who they are suppose to help, and fail the people who pour tax money into their coffers...