Dear Neighbors,
Between the first quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of this year, Minnesota state government has added an astounding 5,725.3 full-time equivalents (FTEs). While this isn’t the same as adding a full time employee, that is still a dramatic jump in the number of state workers in just a three year period. To put in in perspective, the growth in FTEs over the past three years in more than double the size of Roseau, Minnesota!
What’s more, according to Minnesota Management and Budget, in 2014 FTEs cost $68,524 each meaning that this growth in FTEs is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars per year. This begs the question what are Minnesotans getting in return on investment for more government workers. Are we seeing improved services or better outcomes? Does this make government more effective or efficient? If not, then we need to seriously reconsider why our government is growing so quickly.
Places where there have been particularly significant jumps include the DNR where there was a growth of 689.1 FTEs and the MPCA where there was a growth of 236.8 FTEs over the last three years. Both of these agencies affect business operations through permitting and enforcement in Northern Minnesota.
Other agencies that saw substantial growth include the Revenue Department, Health and Human Services Department and Health Department.
In 2011, there were discussions about reducing the size and scope of state government, but it appears the trend has gone the other way with both the cost of government growing by the billions each biennium and the number of state employees on the rise. We can reduce the number of FTEs through consolidation and attrition, not replacing retiring workers with new employees, especially if there is a way to streamline that work to fewer folks.
As your state representative, I want to ensure that government is providing necessary services in an effective manner and properly utilizing your hard-earned taxpayer dollars. I will continue to look for ways to streamline government wherever possible, limiting unnecessary FTE increases, opposing burdensome government mandates and prioritizing your tax dollars to fund what’s really important like education, public safety, and roads and bridges.
Pay Raises for Commissioners
This week it was revealed that Governor Mark Dayton approved more than $700,000 in pay increases for his commissioners, costing the state more than $1.4 million over the biennium. These pay increases were approved due to changes made by the DFL-controlled legislature and signed into law by Governor Dayton in 2013.
The changes allowed the limit on salaries for commissioners to move from 85 or 95 percent of the governor's salary to 133 percent of the governor's salary, and what’s more, Governor Dayton raised the pay of his commissioners without legislative or public approval.
The salary increases took effect on January 5, 2015, and the Legislative Coordinating Commission was notified of the salary increases on February 4, 2015.
Giving such dramatic pay increases to government employees deserves scrutiny from taxpayers. Average working folks across Minnesota haven’t seen substantial salary increases like that, so why should commissioners? This wasteful spending will be more closely examined by legislators in the coming weeks.
Bills for Greater Minnesota
This week, I introduced two bills that are top priorities for the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities.
House Files 416 and 417 both change the way the MPCA works with wastewater treatment facilities. If the MPCA decides that water is not in compliance with their standards, it can mean as much as $50 million in costs to taxpayers to make changes regardless of how close the water is to meeting standards.
The first piece of legislation would require a cost benefit analysis to see what costs are incurred and compare it to the needed change in water quality. If passed into law, the second bill would require an independent peer review to ensure the MPCA’s analysis is accurate.
The MPCA is opposing this legislation, but both bills have strong bipartisan support and can make a real difference for Greater Minnesota taxpayers!
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My door is always open to the needs and priorities of our area. Please feel free to let me know if I can be of assistance to you and your family. I am here to serve you!
Dan
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