Governor Jim Pillen signed Executive Order 24-03, which will eliminate government positions that have remained vacant more than 90 days, with exceptions for critical public safety positions. Taxpayer dollars budgeted for eliminated positions will be re-directed to other priorities or returned to Nebraskans in the form of property tax relief.
“I promised to run state government like a business and this order delivers on that promise,” said Gov. Pillen. “These positions have been vacant for months or even years, and yet government has continued to function. We have proven we can work without them, so we will eliminate them and return the money to the taxpayers.”
The initial elimination of vacancies will apply to nearly 1,000 positions across the enterprise in a variety of classifications, except those critical positions detailed in the emergency order.
The elimination of the nearly 1,000 already identified positions will result in estimated savings to the state of $39.4 million — $15.2 million of which is direct savings to the General Fund. Savings of up to 25% more may be possible, after considering market factors relative to hiring certain positions at a higher rate. That could bump up total taxpayer savings to roughly $49 million.