Cagle and staff will take furloughs, state employees face layoffs

Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, a Republican candidate for governor, last fall ordered his staff to begin taking one day a month off without pay because of the state’s fiscal crisis. Oxendine has gone without pay just like his staff.

On Monday, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, another GOP candidate for governor, said he too will be taking furloughs, as will his staff. Cagle’s chief of staff sent a memo to office staffers warning them to expect up to five furlough days in the coming year.

“There is no choice, there is no option left,” said Cagle, who is paid about $90,000 a year. 

The lieutenant governor’s office budget has been cut about 15 percent. If Cagle takes five furlough days, it would save the state about $1,700.

Meanwhile, Cagle also predicted state agencies will have no choice but to lay off some workers in fiscal 2010, which begins July 1. So far, there have been few layoffs among the 100,000 state workers. Lawmakers didn’t write layoffs into the 2010 budget, but they cut $1.6 billion in spending, meaning some agencies may have to fire workers to balance their books.

Cagle also told reporters Monday, “We’re about to see what can happen when MARTA has to cut down the days of service.”