Culver crew sorts out salary cut; Iowans likely to feel pain in pocketbook

By James Q. Lynch

The Gazette

Turned out cutting his salary wasn't as easy as Gov. Chet Culver thought.

His 10 percent self-imposed salary cut dropped to 5.4 percent when recommendations for implementing his 10 percent across the board spending cuts were rolled out Wednesday.

After critics cried foul and poked fun at the governor's math skills, his salary cut jumped to 14 percent Thursday.

It was all a miscalculation, Culver Chief of Staff John Frew explained.

The 10 percent cut appeared to drop to 5.4 percent because Frew applied it only to the remainder of the July 1 to June 30 budget year. However, Culver intends to give back $13,000 of his $130,000-a-year salary. That makes the give-back equivalent to a 14 percent reduction for the remainder of the year, Frew said.

That pleased some of Culver's harshest critics even if, as Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn said, “it took public pressure and media reports to make him fulfill his promise to Iowa taxpayers.”

The governor plans to spread his repayments over the remaining 18 pay periods rather than write a lump sum check June 30, a spokesman said.

Following the recommendations for implementing the 10 percent across the board cuts is less complicated in many cases even if the consequences might be greater.

For example, the cuts to the Department of Public Health will mean 200 fewer Iowans with brain injury will receive services and 395 fewer people will be treated for sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis, meaning 10 positive persons will not be identified and 15 exposed partners would not be reached.

Not every cut will result in potentially life-threatening consequences. Cuts at the Department of Administrative Services will mean snow removal may not happen as quickly as in the past, Natural Resources will let parks go more natural by mowing less frequently and the Department of Economic Development will distribute fewer travel guides. Out-of-state travel restrictions will cost the Iowa Utilities Board one of five state seats on the Federal Communications Commission's broadband policy committee.

In their recommendations to the governor, many departments noted that the cuts come at the same time as the need for the services is growing.

“With the downturn in the economy, Iowans -- especially the unemployed -- are turning to their libraries in ever greater numbers,” the Department of Education noted in explaining a $180 million cut in Enrich Iowa Libraries that will reduce aid to public and academic libraries by 10 percent. “State funding to libraries will be reduced at the very time that demand is growing.”

College students and their parents will feel the cuts in the pocketbook even if regents don't apply a spring semester tuition surcharge. All Iowa Opportunity Grants will be cut by $490 each and Iowa Tuition Grants will be cut by $170 to $320 apiece. The National Guard Educational Assistance program will have to reduce its aid or limit the number of recipients. The commission estimated students loan forgiveness grants will not be awarded to about 11 teachers and two nurses and physician recruitment funds for one doctor will be eliminated.

Critics of the Culver cuts say property taxpayers will get the bill as costs are shifted from state to local government. One decision counties will face is whether to make up a $7 million decrease in the homestead tax credit reimbursement.

The costs of less air and water quality monitoring, and fewer tobacco compliance checks are harder to quantify. But the Department of Public Safety spelled it out clearly $5.1 million in cuts will mean 20 fewer troopers on the road. In turn, that will cost the state $4.63 million in citation revenue, 595 fewer OWI arrests, 4,166 fewer motorist assists and 104,000 fewer traffic contacts.

From a state agency perspective, the recommendations, which run over 100 pages, are grim reading. There was a glimmer of hope – or gallows humor – in the Department of Human Service's explanation of a $92,000 cut in a Child Support Recovery Unit line item: “Small potential the economy may improve.”