Gov. Scott Walker
As he prepares for his second term in office, Governor Scott Walker says making Wisconsin government operate more efficiently will be among his top priorities.
Part of that push will likely include consolidating or merging operations from multiple state agencies. In an interview with WRN, Walker said the move is not expected to save “tens of millions of dollars,” but it would help to cut costs associated with administrative level staff and a few other at-will positions.
Walker’s list of possible consolidations includes the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, two agencies he says are heavily involved in growing the state’s economy. Another merger being considered is the Departments of Safety and Professional Services and Financial Institutions, which both deal with professional and licensing issues.
Walker is not offering specifics about what restructured agencies might look like, although details are expected early on in the next Legislative session. The governor says the primary goal of any changes are to make state agencies “more efficient, more effective, and more accountable to the public.”