Legislative Committee Looks For Long-Term Cost Savings

The discussion also was about bringing in more revenue through resource development.

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By Bill McAllister
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Story Created: Jul 19, 2011 at 5:32 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Jul 20, 2011 at 8:57 AM AKDT

The state budget is flush right now, but lawmakers don't expect it to stay that way.

So a legislative committee is asking Parnell administration officials about ways they might limit expenses and increase revenues.

The Senate State Affairs Committee wants to know when cutting dollars would make sense.

And executive branch officials have some suggestions.

"Like in industry, we discover that much of our fuel usage for our state vehicles is spent idling,” said Commissioner Marc Luiken of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. “And so where that's appropriate, we're going to use some technology to automatically shut vehicles off if they've been idling more than 10 minutes. We recognize that we can save even upwards of 30 percent on our fuel bills."

"We've increased professional staff for some of these boards,” said Deputy Commissioner Curtis Thayer of the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. “But it is something we need to take a look at to see across the line what boards maybe have outlived their life span, as far as needing to have a board regulate their industry. We have some boards where there's a total of less than a hundred people that they serve, and there's a board for them."

State Affairs Chairman Bill Wielechowski heard today from four departments -- transportation, commerce, revenue and natural resources.

He did not set targets for the amount of savings he hoped each department would find.

Sen. Wielechowski does admit that formula-driven programs, such as Medicaid, as well as the debt in the public pension systems, are big-ticket items that are not going to be addressed through this process.

"It's trimming at the edges, and we're fortunate, we're in a very good position as a state: we have $15 billion in savings -- the largest savings account in the United States. I think it's a good discussion to have, to try to figure out where we can find, trim some fat."

The discussion also was about bringing in more revenue through resource development.

"The governor's written President Obama in this regard; I've been having meetings in Washington with Obama administration officials on making sure that our permitting efforts are coordinated, and that hasn't always been the case," said Commissioner Dan Sullivan of the Department of Natural Resources.

The committee took some public testimony, which was mostly critical of lawmakers and appointed officials.

"But to go to Juneau at the beginning of the business is just unacceptable,” said Paul Kendall of Anchorage. “You should refuse to get on that plane and demand that we hold legislative hearings here. And I don't care if it's pitched tents and cots out there."

Wielechowski says the committee does have the best interests of the public in mind.

"So this is a way the Legislature can interact with the departments and sort of let them know that we're looking for suggestions, ideas; we want them to try to figure out ways to slow the growth of government, to be more efficient, working better for the people of Alaska."

The bottom line, he says: It's all about the bottom line.

 

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