Gov. Otter aims to cut 463 jobs from Idaho government, including 164 from Parks and Rec agency

Idaho gov aims to cut 463 jobs from government

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s budget chief outlined plans to cut 463 jobs from state government in fiscal year 2011 as part of his plan to trim spending.

Wayne Hammon told the Joint Finance-Appropriations budget committee Thursday said 637 full-time positions are currently vacant, out of about 18,000 total state jobs.

He determined more than half of those could be eliminated, because they’d been long vacant and weren’t likely to be filled soon.

Not all positions on the chopping block are empty, though. Otter calls for cutting 164 jobs from the Department of Parks and Recreation, at least 25 of which are currently filled, in his plan to eliminate the agency and shift park oversight to the Department of Lands.

Hammon says he worked with agencies to avoid hurting critical services and tried, for instance, to preserve Department of Health and Welfare case workers and Idaho Tax Commission auditors.

But he concedes, “I will not tell you they all agreed with the final decision we made.”