Gov. Perdue’s Budget Proposal Highlights

Hoping to read Gov. Perdue’s 2011-2012 Budget Proposal in it’s entirety? If so….

CLICK HERE

 

For everyone else,  here are the highlights of the Gov’s $19.9 billion budget:

Taxes, Reserves or Salaries:

• extend 0.75 cents of the temporary penny sales tax for another two years: $827 million.
• reduce corporate income tax rate from 6.9 percent to 4.9 percent: -$115 million.
• repeal law giving portion of corporate income tax for public school construction: $72 million.
• provide unemployment insurance tax credit for 135,000 small businesses: -$65 million.
• no salary increases for state employees, teachers.
• cover expected 7.1 percent premium increase for state employee health insurance plan: $117.1 million.
• require state employees on more generous health insurance plan to pay $21.50-per-month premium for individual coverage: -$89 million.
• provide $10,000-$20,000 incentive bonus for eligible workers to retire, allocated in limited amounts throughout state government.
• set aside $75 million from year-end credit balance for repairs, renovations of government buildings.
• contribute more to state retirement system: $115 million.
• severance reserve for laid-off state workers: $30 million.
• rainy-day reserve fund: $150 million.
• set aside $25 million from year-end credit balance to help local governments and nonprofits interested in consolidating or regionalizing services.

Public Education (K-12):

• require local school district to pay for workers’ compensation claims: -$34.7 million.
• make payments of tort claims a local responsibility: -$4.6 million.
• reduce allotment for local central office staff by 10 percent, potentially eliminating 140 positions: -$10.8 million.
• reduce instructional support allotment by 5 percent, potentially eliminating 290 positions: -$23 million.
• reduce school building administration funds by 7.5 percent, potentially eliminating 380 positions: -$24.6 million.
• 35 percent allotment reduction for textbooks: -$40 million.
• reduce allotment to districts for custodial and clerical positions by 15 percent, or 1,700 positions: -$59.6 million.
• reduce school bus transportation allotment by 10 percent, or potentially 1,900 positions: -$40.3 million.
• make school bus replacement a local responsibility: -$56.9 million.
• direct 10 percent reduction in Department of Public Instruction, or 40 positions: -$4.4 million.
• eliminate dropout prevention grants: -$13 million.
• pay for instruction supplies and positions to teach an extra 5,323 students in 2011-12 school year: $38.3 million.

University of North Carolina System:

• direct University of North Carolina system to reduce combined spending in operating budget by 9.5 percent, with 1,900 positions to be eliminated, partially offset by tuition increases: -$252.6 million.
• reduce legislative aid to residents who attend private college by 6.5 percent: -$12.2 million.
• reduce 25 percent charity care subsidy to UNC Hospitals: -$11 million.
• operation and maintenance of new system building coming online next year, including 283 positions: $18.5 million.
• pay for instruction of additional 2,337 students in 2011-12 school year: $23.3 million.
• consolidate research stations and farms at N.C. State University: $8.7 million.
• use N.C. Education Lottery Funds to help pay for need-based financial aid: $34.9 million.

Community Colleges:

• eliminate eight specialized centers and programs: -$3.8 million.
• raise tuition by $5.50 per credit hour, or $176 per year: -$25.3 million.
• direct 3 percent reduction in state aid budget to community college system, with as many as 620 position eliminated: -$32.3 million.
• pay for instruction of additional 9,712 full-time equivalent students in 2011-12 school year: $17.9 million.

Health and Human Services:

• find efficiencies in department budget to reduce 25 positions: -$1 million.
• reduce Smart Start early childhood initiative by 10 percent: -$9.4 million.
• create up to 5.5 percent assessment on hospital and other Medicaid providers as a way to draw down more federal funds: -$60.2 million.
• adjusting Medicaid provide reimbursement rates, for private duty nursing, imaging and ultrasounds: -$8.4 million.
• modify Medicaid pharmacy services to find efficiencies: -$15.9 million.
• modify optional and mandatory Medicaid services: -$16.5 million.
• set aside $75 million in year-end credit balance for mental health trust fund.
• reduce administrative funds to operate local mental health management offices: -$3.3 million.

Justice and Public Safety:

• consolidate Departments of Juvenile Justice, Correction and Crime Control and Public Safety into one Department of Public Safety. Sixty positions would be eliminated.
• reduce administrative functions in judicial branch by 16 percent, or 54 positions: -$9.1 million.
• reduce funds for family and drug treatment courts, dispute resolution and other programs: -$1.9 million.
• reduce courthouse operations expenses by 1 percent, or 71 positions: -$3.3 million.
• shift requirement that sheriffs check whereabouts of registered sex offenders by first-class mail, not certified mail: -$93,000.
• close Woodson Wilderness Camp for juvenile offenders, eliminate 20 positions: -$970,000.
• close Swannanoa Youth Development Center, affecting 26 positions: -$1.4 million.
• eliminate 77 correction positions: -$2.9 million.
• find $12.4 million in savings, eliminate 237 positions from Justice Reinvestment recommendations.
• fund operations and staffing for four new prisons, including 280 positions: $10 million.

Natural and Economic Resources:

• merge Employment Security Commission into Department of Commerce, resulting in 53 position eliminations.
• close welcome centers two days a week, privatize them in 2012-13 fiscal year: -$600,000
• One North Carolina Fund economic incentives initiative: $10 million.
• Job Maintenance and Capital Development Program: $8.5 million.
• direct reductions at Department of Agriculture at agency’s discretion: -$5.2 million.
• reduce Department of Environment and Natural Resources by 68 positions, largely in permitting offices: -$418,000.
• close Rendezvous and Turnbull Creek educational state forests due to low attendance: -$131,000.
• reduce Division of Parks and Recreation budget by 10 percent, requiring most parks to close two days a week: -$3.1 million.
• matching money for clean and drinking water revolving funds: $14.5 million.
• Clean Water Management Trust Fund: -$50 million.

Transportation:

• reduce public transportation, aviation and ferry funds: -$6.9 million.
• repair, replace and maintain ferry vessels: -$2.1 million.

Other state agencies:

• consolidate Department of Administration, State Controller’s Office, Office of Information Technology Services and Office of State Personnel into a new Department of Administration and Management, reducing 21 positions and other human resources jobs.
• delay filling intern positions at the General Assembly: -$1.25 million.
• eliminate four positions from the Officer of the Governor: -$433,000.
• purchase land buffers for military installations: $1 million.
• reduce six positions in State Auditor’s Office: -$784,000.
• increase Department of Insurance company and insurance adjuster licensing fees: -$4.5 million.
• pay for new Department of Revenue tax computer system: $3 million.
• reduce grants for arts, libraries, NC Symphony by 10 percent: -$2.3 million.
• consolidate, reduce management layers at North Carolina State Library, eliminating nine positions: -$500,000.
• centralize human resources functions, cutting 92 positions: -$2.8 million.

___

Source: Office of State Budget and Management.