Legum’s New Line

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In the latest of a string of cuts necessary to balance Maryland’s budget, O’Malley announced some painful cuts to the state government’s workforce:

More than 200 state workers will lose their jobs as Gov. Martin O’Malley tries to close a nearly $740 million budget gap amid the national recession. Affected employees are being notified today.

The rest of Maryland’s work force will see their salaries reduced by the equivalent of three to 10 days through a government-shutdown and furlough plan. The two-tiered proposal is designed to have less of an impact on lower-paid workers and gradually require deeper pay cuts so that those making more than $100,000 a year would be docked 10 days’ pay.

The Democratic governor will present his package of budget cuts totaling $454 million tomorrow to the state Board of Public Works, which makes spending adjustments when the General Assembly is not in session. Weeks ago, the board approved $282 million in reductions.

These cuts will hit my hometown of Annapolis, where a good portion of the state government is based, particularly hard. But could Maryland have avoided some of the furloughs and layoffs with some fresh thinking? Utah is saving millions of dollars by switching to a 4-day, 40 hour work week for state employees:

Utah this summer will become what experts say is the first state to institute a mandatory four-day work week for most state employees, joining local governments across the nation that are altering schedules to save money, energy and resources.

…Huntsman says the change will help Utah reach its goal of reducing energy use 20% by 2015.

Beyond the energy and financial implications, the four-day work week is a quality-of-life issue for many. Huntsman says it is especially popular among younger employees and that his action will make Utah more competitive in luring talent.

This kind of system may or may not work in Maryland. But if we are going to meet the challenges facing the state, we need some new ideas.

More details on the Governor’s budget cuts here.

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Here’s a short speech I gave to Netroots Nation, a convention of online activists, in Pittsburgh last week:

You can check out some of the other speakers that night, including President Bill Clinton, on C-Span.

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Annapolis Alderman Dave Cordle is proposing legislation banning “politics” from the city’s website, saying it should be a “handbook not a soapbox.” The Capital has the details:

Alderman David Cordle plans to introduce legislation that will banish political soapboxes from the city government’s corner of cyberspace, allowing only information that helps Annapolitans better access city services and follow official affairs.

Cordle, R-Ward 5, decided the law was necessary after a PowerPoint presentation by Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson that was critical of the city manager form of government appeared on the city’s Web site.

Cordle has identified a problem but picked the wrong solution. We shouldn’t ban the policy views of members of the city council from the website – this is useful information for all voters. Rather, we should simply make sure that official communications from the city and clearly delineated from the views of individual elected officials.

The United States Senate provides a model. If I want official information about the U.S. Senate, I go to senate.gov. If want to know the policy positions of Sen. Ben Cardin – from the Supreme Court nominee to the Chesapeake Bay, I got to cardin.senate.gov. Similarly, Alderwoman Finlayson should be able to publish her PowerPoint at finlayson.annapolis.gov.

A handbook is a static document that people put in a drawer and ignore. The city website should be a vibrant and dynamic resource for residents who care about the future of the city.

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Substance abuse is a serious drain on Maryland’s financial resources, crowding the courts and filling up jails. A new report by the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute finds that there are insufficient resources for treatment and prevention. The Capital has the details:

There were about 70,000 Marylanders admitted to treatment in 2007, but thousands more remained untreated, according to the institute’s report…

Maryland spends an average of $117 million – 0.64 percent of the state’s budget – on substance-abuse prevention, treatment and research, which ranks it third in the nation for per capita spending.

Yet out of every $100 spent on substance abuse in Maryland, only about $4.53 goes toward prevention and treatment efforts.

That results in “a substance-abuse system which struggles to stretch its resources to meet the need for treatment of current abusers, with little left to make effective strides in prevention,” the report stated.

To address our long-term budget problems, we need to not only cut spending but also figure out how to use the money we do spend more efficiently.

You can read the full report here.

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