NBC12 News, Weather Sports, Traffic, and Programming Guide for Richmond, VA | Governor says state job cuts may be on the horizon

Governor says state job cuts may be on the horizon

By Tara Morgan - bio | email
Posted by Terry Alexander - email

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - In two weeks, governor Tim Kaine will announce budget cuts between 700 million and one-point five billion dollars - and what that means for state workers.

Governor Kaine says there could be layoffs but didn't talk about specific state agencies. He says some of the proposed cuts have been on the table once before; a grim outlook for state employees. At this point, there's no telling just how many jobs might have to be trimmed. But state agencies provided Governor Tim Kaine with plans to reduce their budgets by five, ten and 15 percent.

"Some propose reductions that are much less about state work force and some propose reductions that are pretty heavy on the state work force," said Kaine.

Kaine delivered the news Wednesday after he met with his advisory commission on revenue estimates. Governor Kaine asked economists for a revenue reforecast for the 2010 budget, when the 2009 fiscal year ended with an overall revenue decline of nine percent, the worst he says in the recorded Virginia budget history. In December, Kaine says he proposed 700 million in cuts but agencies held back at the hopes of obtaining federal stimulus money.

"Since April of 07 when I gave my first letter to agencies telling them to cut we've used priorities and performance as the watch word and we have not increased the tax burden on Virginians to get through the recession and that's our continued goal," Kaine said.

Kaine says he has other administrative options when it comes to saving cash. Additional adjustments to the 2010 budget could come in November. Governor Kaine will announce his revenue reforecast on August 19.

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