Agencies look at layoffs

• By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON AND MARSHA SHULER
• Capitol news bureau
• Published: Jul 10, 2009 - Page: 11A

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Few in state government appear to be headed for the unemployment line despite tight budget constraints and earlier talk of big employee job layoffs.

Only a handful of state agencies have submitted employee layoff plans for required state Civil Service approval.

“I think some agencies are waiting until they get their official budget letter” detailing how they fared financially and personnel-wise, Civil Service Director Shannon Templet said.

So far, agencies have been asking for and receiving the OK to go forward with layoff-avoidance measures such as withholding merit pay raises, implementing job furloughs and offering employees eligible to retire an incentive to do so.

State revenue is expected to decline by $1.3 billion in the fiscal year that started July 1.
Agencies have to get by with less money in the state’s $29 billion budget.

The U.S. Census Bureau said that, in 2007, Louisiana had about 85,000 state employees.

The Division of Administration reports that this fiscal year’s budget contains 1,335 fewer jobs.
The division was unable to detail how many of those are filled positions.

The Legislature approved a resolution sponsored by state Rep. Mert Smiley, R-St. Amant, to study the number of state government jobs that can be eliminated.

Smiley said he is not pushing for massive layoffs. Instead, he said he wants to eliminate positions as they are vacated.

“We’re going to do this to take care of some financial problems we’re going to have in the future,” Smiley said.

State agencies are trying to avoid major layoffs as they look at their employee situations.

State Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine said he expects to lay off no more than 100 employees in his sprawling agency, which has 12,130 employees.

Most employee layoffs — around 70 — will be connected with the closure of the New Orleans Adolescent Home, he said. There also will be some employee layoffs at the Southeast Louisiana State Hospital at Mandeville, he said.