Legum’s New Line

During a radio interview this morning, Gov. O’Malley revealed that his budget will include substantial layoffs of state workers. Maryland Moment has the story:

Gov. Martin O’Malley told reporters this morning that an unspecified number of state employee layoffs will be included in the budget for next fiscal year that he submits next week to the General Assembly.

O’Malley (D) is grappling with how to close a $1.9 billion shortfall for fiscal 2010, which starts in July, and said he is left with several decisions he would rather not make.
He said his budget proposal will include the elimination of about 700 positions through attrition, on top of roughly 1,500 other vacant jobs that have been eliminated during his first two years in office.

“Attrition alone isn’t going to get us to a point of a balanced budget,” O’Malley said, declining to specify how many layoffs he would propose.

The Baltimore Sun, citing an “administration source,” reports that “the number of layoffs proposed would be between 500 and 1,000.” Also on the agenda: higher prices for health benefits.

You can listen to O’Malley’s full interview on the Marc Steiner show, which airs at 5PM on WEAA 89.9 FM.

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