Gregoire's Creative and Bold Steps to Save Money
Posted by: John Barnes | 09/17/2008 1:39 PM
On August 4 Governor Gregoire called for agencies under her control to freeze the purchase of "non-emergency personal service contracts," in addition to a hiring freeze and reduction in fuel consumption. These were part of what she called "creative and bold steps" to achieve the goal of budget savings.
Apparently some agencies didn't get the memo.
A look through the state Office of Financial Management report for personal service contracts filed in August reveals some interesting tidbits:
*Department of Community Trade and Economic Development (CTED): $400,000 to provide tourism and trade services to Washington in the nations of China, Japan & France.
*Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation: $149,714 to develop a feasibility study for a Washington State Maritime Heritage Area.
*State Parks and Recreation Commission: $254,701 for additional work to address additional funding from the legislature for the Seminary design at Saint Edward State Park.
Despair.com said it best:
It may be ill advised, but it is apparently not "fraudulent" and certainly not election fraud. Forbes has...
Good information. Thank you.
John, these are piddly compared to what the state has wasted on the paid family leave program. Several million dollars have been thrown down a rathole and the program isn't up and running yet. This was the most idiotic legislation ever passed (well maybe not ever, but close). No funding source and now the safeguards that were there to prevent fraud were taken out by the Dems. last session as "cost saving" measures.
Also take a look at the Health Insurance Partnership (HIP) that the Health Care Authority is gearing up for. This has the potential to suck taxpayers dry in the name of providing health insurance to small businesses and "low wage" employees.
Focus on the big stuff that is really detrimental to the state's fiscal health.
Deadhead: You make good points but the purpose of my post was not so much to point out frivolous spending as to illustrate that the very personal service contracts Governor Gregoire supposedly "froze" are still going on. It's a different issue.
Well it looks to me as though these departments decided to slap an "emergency clause", ala the state legislature, to justify these expenditures.