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Friday, July 03, 2009
N.M. Using Stimulus To Hire 118
By Dan Boyd
Journal Capitol Bureau
SANTA FE — An ongoing state government hiring freeze isn't stopping New Mexico from using federal stimulus funds to hire more than 100 new employees.
And although most of the jobs are temporary, a portion are permanent positions that could end up enlarging the state's payroll.
A total of 118 positions, ranging from lawyers to office clerks, already have been listed on the Web site of the State Personnel Office, all of them approved by the state's stimulus-overseeing Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.
Only 20 of the 118 jobs approved — more could be added later — are permanent positions, all of them within the Human Services Department.
But when stimulus funding dries up around the end of 2010, those permanent positions will either have to be absorbed into the state budget or scrapped.
Although creating new jobs is a goal of the huge federal spending program designed to give a boost to the national economy, creating them within the ranks of state government makes some lawmakers queasy.
Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he's concerned about the potential for ongoing costs posed by stimulus-initiated state government jobs.
"There are real red flags going up," Smith said. "If they use it to put more money in the state payroll, the federal government can point to higher employment levels — but at what cost?"
The 20 permanent positions in the Human Services Department will go to the Income Support Division, which operates the state's food stamp program.
Department officials say they're banking on absorbing the positions into the division by filling vacancies, a strategy that wouldn't require any additional or ongoing state funding.
"We believe we're going to be able to handle the (permanent positions) through attrition," said Betina Gonzales McCracken, the Human Services Department's spokeswoman.
That's a must, Smith said, because sagging state revenues — which are expected to be about $150 million less than projected in February — probably won't allow for an expansion of the state payroll.
"Don't expect a bailout," Smith told the Journal.
The Office of Recovery and Reinvestment must approve all of the state government stimulus jobs before they are advertised.
Former Gov. Toney Anaya, who's heading the office, said he's instructed the Human Services Department and other state agencies to keep their administrative costs low to maximize the stimulus program's efficiency.
"The agency is going to have to find a place for those individuals when the federal money runs out if (those hired) want to stay with the department," Anaya said.
Gov. Bill Richardson ordered a hiring freeze for state government in November as a way to save the state money. However, there have been frequent exceptions to the policy for positions deemed essential for government operations.
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