12/5/2008
Idaho Transportation Department announces administrative cuts, budget holdbacks
BOISE - The Idaho Transportation Department is cutting its budget by $9 million and reducing administrative costs an additional $1.6 million by transferring 18 administrative positions to such critical services as bridge inspection, snowplowing, and road and bridge maintenance.
Declining revenue from the state's fuel tax and economic slowdown is forcing the department to reduce its budgeted state funds by 5 percent from the $190.6 million approved by the Legislature in March to $181.6 million. Last year the department reduced its budget by $10.4 million.
"The $9 million in holdbacks reflect Governor Otter's direction to all state agencies to act prudently and cautiously with the taxpayers dollars," Pamela Lowe, director of the Idaho Transportation Department, said. "Despite cutting more than $19 million from our budget over the last two years, we are maintaining the important services we provide Idahoans."
In the past two years, the department made reductions in personnel costs, its office and equipment building program, the state construction program, out-of-state travel, and the new and replacement equipment budget, as well as delaying expansion of its salt brine program.
The department will transfer 18 vacant administrative positions to its front-line operations this month. The transfer and additional cost cutting measures represent a 6-percent reduction in the department's administrative costs.
"We are meeting the Governor's challenge to cut our bureaucracy by reducing personnel and administrative costs and finding and implementing efficiencies," Lowe said.
The department implemented more than 120 efficiency measures in 2008 and will release a detailed report to the Governor and legislative leadership next week.