Reduced state budget, but 44 new state employees included

By Phil Noble, Cowboy State Free Press Bureau Chief

CHEYENNE–In a downsized budget for 2011-12 fiscal years, Gov. Dave Freudenthal is asking for 44 more state employees to be added to state government.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s Chief of Staff, Chris Boswell, says the budget recommendations are for a net increase of 44 full-time positions, 7 of which are funded totally from the state’s general fund.

“What makes it a bit difficult to offer a plain and simple answer (to the question, “how many new state employees are in the budget”) is that some agencies reduced positions, and those numbers are factored into the net increase,” Boswell said.

The University of Wyoming Family Practice Residency requested and received permission to fill 20 positions in the current biennium. Those positions are reflected as new state positions in the Agency 167 (Medical Education) budget.

Seven positions were added in the Dept. of Administration and Information. These are primarily support (custodian) sorts of positions affiliated with newly constructed buildings coming on line in the biennium.

The Military Department received six new positions for Camp Guernsey operations.

Also, the Public Defender received a recommendation for six new positions. Boswell explained the six are currently contract positions.

Six new positions were authorized in the Department of Transportation. “These aren’t actually new jobs, but are positions which used to be funded on the ‘non-appropriated’ side of the DOT budget, and were approved to move to the ‘appropriated’ side,” Boswell said.