October 27, 2009 09:42 PM UTC

Four More Furlough Days for State Employees

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• by: Colorado Pols

Just announced from Gov. Bill Ritter’s office:

With the global economic downturn continuing to impact state government, Gov. Bill Ritter announced today that state employees will be taking four additional unpaid furlough days in the current fiscal year, bringing the total number to eight.

About 15,500 employees already have taken two furlough days, Sept. 8 and Oct. 9, with two more days scheduled for Nov. 27 and Dec. 31. The new days, all Fridays, will be Jan. 15, Feb. 12, April 2 and May 28. Many government offices will be closed those days.

The eight closure days will save about $27.2 million in FY09-10, which started July 1 and ends June 30…

…Over the past year, the global recession has forced Gov. Ritter and lawmakers to close budget shortfalls of about $1.8 billion.

Gov. Ritter will present the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee with a plan to close an additional $270 million shortfall at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Remember, folks, that this isn’t just about saving money by not paying salaries for four days. This means that most government offices will not be open to the public, and that affects a lot of people in Colorado one way or the other.