Most state agencies are being asked to make cuts and reduce their bottom line, according to Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch. He says almost every area of state government can expect to see a reduction in its base funding, as Wisconsin prepares to deal with a projected $3.6 billion deficit in the next budget biennium.
Huebsch spoke Wednesday to a meeting in Madison of the Wisconsin Counties Association. He says Governor Walker has instructed agency heads to look for savings anywhere they can find them, along with ways to be more efficient with the resources they already have.
Huebsch pointed to plans to make state workers contribute more to their pensions and health care costs as one way to save money. He says those two alone will be valuable tools in helping to balance at least portion of the budget, although he says it’s not going to solve it all.
Huebsch says the state needs to make difficult decisions now, before the situation gets even worse and Wisconsin faces the massive deficits crippling some larger states.