Utah Gov.’s $50,000 Anti-Pornography Plan; Iowa Faces $100 Million Shortfall
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Wyoming’s crime lab backlog; Portland, Maine’s graffiti wall; and a big pay raise for San Diego County officials.
PORNOGRAPHY | Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s $16 billion proposed budget includes a $50,000 request to fund statewide anti-pornography efforts. If approved, the spending would mark the first time in more than a decade state dollars have been directed toward that purpose. "This effort is an effective way to empower parents with practical methods to protect their families from the dangers of pornography," Herbert said. [The Salt Lake Tribune]
STATE BUDGETS | Lawmakers in Iowa, who are preparing to convene for the 2017 legislative session that starts in January, are facing what’s estimated to be a nearly $100 million budget deficit for the current fiscal year, which started in July. “I think it’s a little premature to say quite yet what we will be doing, but we’re exploring various options,” according to David Roederer, the director of the Iowa Department of Management. “I don’t want, in any way, to underestimate what the challenge will be when you cut 100 million dollars out of the existing budget.” [Radio Iowa]
CRIME LABS | Budget cuts in Wyoming have resulted in state crime lab backlogs that have left some local officials concerned. “We have gone to trial a couple times recently without the results back from the State Crime Lab, in part because the defense wants to go to trial quickly, and the crime lab is taking many, many months,” said Laramie County District Attorney Jeremiah Sandburg. [Wyoming Tribune Eagle]
WATER | A waterworks bill that has passed Congress includes authorization for the $1.9 billion Central Everglades Planning Project, which is aimed at keeping marshes healthy and preventing saltwater intrusion in South Florida’s water supplies. The cost of the project will be split between the state and federal government. [Miami Herald]
PUBLIC ART | A controversial public graffiti wall at a water treatment plant in Portland, Maine, is sparking discussion about whether the space should be turned into a mural instead. While there’s overwhelming support for the current arrangement from local residents, at least one resident has called it “a failed experiment.” [Portland Press Herald]
EXIT INTERVIEW | Michael Stuban could’ve just retired after 35 years with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, but instead the toll collector-turned-manager sent his human resources exit questionnaire to around 2,000 employees and his bosses. “Giving us classes where we are being told we are not political,” he wrote. “That's bulls---. Jobs/Promotions are filled by the politicians, it's who you know, not what you know.” The stunt didn’t sit well with Chairman Sean Logan, though he admitted the billion-dollar organization isn’t always transparent with its employees. [The Washington Post]
PAY & BENEFITS | Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s latest budget proposal is slated to include a 1.5 percent one-time bonus for state employees and teachers. McAuliffe is set to announce his spending plan later this week. The bonus, the governor said, will serve as an alternative to a planned pay raise that was nixed due to a $1.5 billion state revenue shortfall. [Richmond Times-Dispatch]
RAISES | A $19,000 pay raise? San Diego County supervisors are considering giving themselves one. The pay bump involves changing their salary formula to be a larger percentage of a Superior Court judge’s pay—from 80 percent to 85 percent. For 20 years the formula hasn’t been touched, and the county has the second largest population in California. “I am very comfortable this adjustment is fair and justified,” said Supervisor Ron Roberts. [The San Diego Union Tribune]
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