Effect of Friday’s state-worker furlough varies among agencies

September 02, 2010 | Accountability Editor | Comments 28

MORE: Judge denies request to stop state furloughs

By Greg Kocher and Valarie Honeycutt Spears – gkocher1@herald-leader.com

Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Lockridge, the state prosecutor for Jessamine and Garrard counties, will prepare for a trial by himself on Friday.

Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator David O’Neill will be in the office on Friday without the assistance of 25 deputies.

And if you have a question for the state Education Department about public schools, you’ll have to wait until Tuesday because the department will be closed Friday in addition to the Labor Day holiday on Monday.

These are just some of the impacts as state employees on Friday take the first of six unpaid furlough days in an effort to help balance the state’s budget.

Gov. Steve Beshear estimates the plan will save about $24 million and prevent the layoffs of more than 400 state employees.

Some employees who serve in critical public safety or mental health care positions are exempt from the unpaid furloughs. Those include Kentucky State Police officers and communications personnel, corrections officers and medical personnel at state prisons, and employees who provide direct patient care at state-run mental health facilities.

Emergencies will be handled on a case-by-case basis, much like a holiday, state officials said.

“Any emergency situations that arise such as a mining accident, an environmental spill, a suspicious or fatal fire that would require the services of the state fire marshal, or an occupational safety and health issue will be handled by the appropriate employees on an as-needed basis, just as they would operate on a state holiday,” said a statement from Dick Brown, spokesman for the Public Protection Cabinet, the Labor Cabinet and the Energy and Environment Cabinet.

Some state workers will be the only person in their particular office.

Lockridge, the commonwealth’s attorney for Jessamine and Garrard counties, said he will be in his Nicholasville office on Friday preparing for a trial scheduled to begin next week. Two assistant prosecutors and three staff people will be on furlough.

“I’ll be there to answer the phone,” Lockridge said.

A couple of doors north on Nicholasville’s Main Street, Jessamine Property Valuation Administrator Brad Freeman said his office will be closed on Friday.

PVA staff members are considered executive branch employees and are subject to the furloughs.

Fayette County PVA David O’Neill said in a statement that his Lexington office will be open, but he’ll be the only employee on hand.

“Most work performed by the office will be suspended, but routine functions will continue,” O’Neill’s statement said. “I expect it to be like any other day with phone calls and visits from taxpayers, and I’ll do my best to respond to their needs.”

If you plan to sample the Friday night buffet at Natural Bridge State Resort Park near Slade in Powell County, you won’t see any affects from the furloughs. That’s because all state parks, welcome centers and rest areas will be open on Friday, said Gil Lawson, spokesman for the state Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.

“It’s a holiday weekend and we want to be open to visitors,” Lawson said.

Parks employees will take alternative furlough days on a staggered schedule, he said.

Likewise, the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea will be open. As a mid-state rest area along Interstate 75, it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to visitors. An estimated 900 people visit the center on the Friday of a Labor Day weekend, and that generates more than $4,500 in sales of arts, crafts and food, according to the center’s request for an exemption from the furlough.

The Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort, a history museum and library operated by the Kentucky Historical Society, will be closed Friday because of furloughs; plus Saturday because of water line repairs; plus Monday for Labor Day; and it is normally closed on Tuesdays. So it will resume its normal schedule on Wednesday.

But the Kentucky Horse Park will be open. Also, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission will have eight employees working Friday in order to allow racing to be held at Ellis Park in Henderson. Those include racing stewards, veterinarians and test barn staff, licensing staff and the supervisor of pari-mutuel wagering. Those employees will take alternative furlough days to be determined at a later time.

State personnel such as inspectors assigned to active highway construction projects will report to work on Friday. But construction will be suspended over the Labor Day weekend that runs Friday evening through Monday to alleviate traffic concerns.

People on Friday will still be able to get vehicle registrations at county clerks’ offices and get driver’s licenses at circuit court clerks’ offices.

The Department of Vehicle Registration and the Kentucky Drivers’ Licensing Information System will be at half staff on Friday and Tuesday, said Transportation Cabinet spokesman Chuck Wolfe. Those offices provide support services that allow registration and licensing transactions at the county clerk and circuit court clerk offices.

“We would ask members of the public to be understanding if they find themselves waiting” in line because the systems will run a little more slowly, Wolfe said.

And sorry, students, but public schools are open Friday.

But on the furlough days, parents and others won’t be able to get information on test scores, enrollment requirements, school calendars and other items, said Department of Education spokesperson Lisa Gross.

“If a school district needs assistance to complete a form or has questions about eligibility for state and federal funds, we won’t be able to assist on the furlough days,” Gross said.

Vikki Franklin, a spokeswoman for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said that because most Cabinet operations are closed, routine weekday services will not be available Friday. The cabinet is home to most of the state’s human services and health care programs, including Medicaid, and is one of the largest agencies in state government, with nearly 8,000 full and part-time employees.

In the event of reported child-abuse cases or a complaint against a nursing home, “staff will respond to emergency issues, just as they do on holidays and weekends,” Franklin said.

She said a small staff will be in place Friday to process and disburse child-support payments. The Cabinet’s Public Health Lab will remain open to provide time-sensitive clinical testing for health care providers to treat patients.

The Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville and the lottery’s regional offices will be closed Friday and Monday. But you’ll still be able to buy lottery tickets at retailers.

Two other furlough days will be on Nov. 12, Veterans Day weekend, and May 27, 2011, Memorial Day weekend.

In addition, state employees must schedule three other furlough days during the fiscal year.

Filed Under: State Budget • State Government

About the Author: John Stamper is the accountability editor for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Monticello, Ky., he has been with the Herald-Leader in a variety of roles since graduating from Western Kentucky University in 2000. Reach him at jstamper@herald-leader.com

Effect of Friday’s state-worker furlough varies among agencies

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