DES MOINES –Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today announced a number of the steps being taken by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in response to cuts to the Department’s fiscal 2010 budget, which began July 1st. The Department faces a 15 percent cut from its initial fiscal 2009 appropriation.
Permanent layoffs, not filling open positions, greatly limiting out of state travel, cuts in program spending, altering cell phone contracts to reduce costs, and other measures have already been undertaken by the Department to address the budget cuts. The Department has also proposed reducing the work hours for all employees each pay period.
“We are committed to using every tax dollar we receive as efficiently as possible, but it is clear that cuts of this magnitude will have an impact,” Northey said. “These steps allowed us to finish the last fiscal year on budget and give us a good start to meeting our fiscal 2010 budget.”
To date the Department has sent 2 layoffs notices and terminated one employee during their initial six month probationary period. The Department has also been leaving positions open since last November when staff leave the Department or retire. As a result, currently there are 26 positions vacant within the Department that will not be filled, which is 7 percent of the Department’s authorized full-time employees (FTEs).
In addition, in accordance with Article 8, Section 1 of the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement, the Department has proposed reducing the work hours for all employees by four hours per two week pay period. Officials with AFSCME have filed a grievance concerning the proposal and it is expected to go before an arbitrator in August. If the plan is not approved in arbitration significantly more layoffs will be required.
Northey has also said that the Department will be more flexible in accommodating employees interested in taking voluntary time off without pay.
The Department will make additional information about its budget available online once additional decisions have been made. A copy of the Department’s fiscal 2009 budget is available at www.IowaAgriculture.gov.
The Department’s FY2009 budget of $22 million was cut by $755,000, or 3.4 percent, in Fiscal Year 2009. The Department is facing an addition 12 percent cut in FY2010, which will cut General Fund spending from $22 million at the start of FY 2009 to $18.7 million in FY 2010. Step increases in salary for employees, increased insurance costs and reductions in federal grants also impact the Department’s budget and were not funded by the legislature, which creates the need for the Department to find even more savings.
“The work of the Department impacts all Iowans and we are trying to make these cuts in a way that minimizes the impact on the public and our employees as much as possible,” Northey said.
