Daniels OKs bonuses up to $1,000 for each state employee

The Northwest Indiana Times ^ | Jul 15, 2011 | Dan Carden

[KeyLargo]

the times Daniels OKs bonuses up to $1,000 for each state employee

By Dan Carden dan.carden@nwi.com, (317) 637-9078 | Posted: Friday, July 15, 2011 10:45 am

INDIANAPOLIS | State employees will be paid a bonus of up to $1,000 each for their efforts in helping Indiana amass a $1.2 billion budget surplus.

Gov. Mitch Daniels authorized the one-time payment on Friday to recognize employees he said have spent years doing more with less.

"There's not a state in the nation where state employees are more committed to efficiency and care with tax dollars than Indiana," Daniels said.

The "efficiency dividend payment" will be awarded based on each employee's quality assessment on his or her annual evaluation, with workers rated as "meets expectations" receiving $500, "exceeds" $750 and "outstanding" $1,000.

Daniels said about 90 percent of the 24,000 executive branch employees will receive a bonus. Indiana has 28,069 total employees

The bonus payment will cost the state approximately $20 million, but the Republican governor said that's just a fraction of the funds state employees have saved Indiana.

"I just can't tell you how proud I think every citizen should be of what this highly efficient, hardworking group of public servants has been doing the last few years and especially during the very difficult days of the last two years," Daniels said.

State Auditor Tim Berry reported Thursday that Indiana ended its 2011 budget year on June 30 with $1.2 billion in the bank.

Much of that money was returned from state agencies that left open positions unfilled and eliminated programs and services to keep Indiana in the black when state revenue cratered during the recession.

Revenue growth due to the improving economy has the state on pace to reach $1.4 billion in reserves by June 2013.

[KeyLargo]

MSM headline intentionally leaves out the reasons.

"Gov. Mitch Daniels authorized the one-time payment on Friday to recognize employees he said have spent years doing more with less.

"There's not a state in the nation where state employees are more committed to efficiency and care with tax dollars than Indiana," Daniels said."

[marktwain]

State Auditor Tim Berry reported Thursday that Indiana ended its 2011 budget year on June 30 with $1.2 billion in the bank.

There are not many states in the union that can make this statement.

I understand that Wisconsin, thanks to Governor Walker and the Republican legislators that stood up to the Union thugs, is now in the black.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

May we borrow Daniels or Walker for a while?

[donhunt]

Indiana should have given their employees a small raise and put the rest towards reducing state taxes.

[newzjunkey]

State Auditor Tim Berry reported Thursday that Indiana ended its 2011 budget year on June 30 with $1.2 billion in the bank.

There's something to be proud of.

I still don't understand why Gov. Daniels was savaged on the Right for just thinking about entering the presidential race yet we have the same people elevating the untried Michele Bachmann who has never had to balance a government budget in her life.

[zavvone]

If the state has the surplus then I see no reason not to give the state govt employees who helped during tight budget times a small bonus.

This is how your run a State.

Pres Zero....please p/u the white courtesy phone!!!

[donhunt]

The employees did a good job saving money.

But that was money that the taxpayers overpaid so I think they should get a piece of the action also.

Any body can steal money from the neighbor on his right and give it to the neighbor on his left and look like a hero.

[Lou L]

As an Indiana resident, I don’t have a problem with this. Daniels has done a very respectable job with our state budget, and I don’t have a problem with him creating this kind of incentive for state employees. (I’m NOT a state employee, BTW.)

[TheOldLady]

Click the Weird Blotch

Soar With the Eagles
Donate today
Or donate monthly
A sponsoring FReeper will contribute
$10 for each New Monthly Donor

[zerosix]

I'd go one further, return the "surplus" on the basis of the percentage of taxes paid, to the taxpayers!

No City, County, or State should ever have a "bonus" for that's the people's money and if those government entities keep it, they will merely find ways to spend it, ala Daniels "giving ......away money he has taxed others to give!"

Taking from Peter to "give away," no matter how "hard working" they are, to pay Paul, steals from Peter. There are no other words for it.

[enduserindy]

“Daniels has done a very respectable job with our state budget”
Yeah I’m not a big Daniels fan but I must say he has done a good job, I didn’t expect it to be that good. I liked his comments on the company that took over the toll road operation when it was going under, well we got paid, already have a road, so let them figure it out. As far as the bonus goes I’m sure those who get it have it coming. (Not a state employee either and I live in Indy.)

[noinfringers2]

No matter how you categorize it the monies are still from the taxpayer. It seems to that a better public reward would be to give each employee a refund on their state taxes paid. Of course hard working non-public workers won’t get anything back on their taxes.

[muawiyah]

Doesn’t Wisconsin still have a big debt for prior years waste?

[Mr. Lucky]

The $1,000 serves as a productivity bonus rather than a raise to which there may be some future expectation of entitlement. The surplus is maintained in a sort of rainy day fund until it equals 10% of the current year's budget, at which time the excess must be returned to the taxpayers.

This has the Democrats almost apoplectic, because only those Hoosiers who actually pay taxes are entitled to a refund and the refund could reasonably be forecast to be paid next year, several months prior to the election.

[marktwain]

Doesn’t Wisconsin still have a big debt for prior years waste?

I suspect that they do, but Wisconsin went from facing a large deficit this year to having a surplus.

[muawiyah]

There are people who don't like Daniels. He must have whacked some piece of largess their state ended up not getting back when Bush was President (and Daniels worked in the White House).

There's also Midwestern Jealousy involved in this. The Snoot In The Air ScnadernoovianDeutschlander combine in the Upper Midwest just don't like the people they view as Hillbillies in the South (who, BTW, have the best universities ~ and Ohio State can certainly smack heads in Football eh!)

Just intracommunal hatred better known in India because they kill each other over it.

In the Midwest it's done as football, basketball and Chemistry Departments.

If we could just get them to relocate to North Dakota everybody would be happy ~ then there's Chicago ~

[muawiyah]

Hmm, so no matter how hard government workers work to cut expenses and save taxpayer's money you wouldn't recognize that?

Good thing you were never my boss.

[mewzilla]

Well, there's a reason it's called public service.

That money ought to go back to the taxpayers.

And as a reward for a job well done, productive employees would get to keep their great paying jobs and even better bennies.

[muawiyah]

Hmm ~ pay for performance is a nonstarter with you.

That's a core Republican virtue you know.

[mewzilla]

Hmm ~ pay for performance is a nonstarter with you.

Guess keeping their great pay and bennies isn't reward enough? If they wanna be paid what they're worth I gently suggest they work for the private sector and stop suckling off the gov't teat.