Attorney General's Office to Implement Furlough Program

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Feb. 6, 2009) Attorney General Terry Goddard announced today that he will begin a furlough program as a major part of his Office's cost-cutting to meet its reduced budget for the current fiscal year. 

The program requires employees of the Office who make more than $50,000 to take off eight days without pay over the rest of the '09 fiscal year, which ends June 30. He estimates the furlough savings at $1.15 million.  

Last month, Goddard announced the layoff of 20 employees. With the furloughs, no additional layoffs are needed to meet the reduced Attorney General’s Office budget, he said.  

"After considering all of our options for bringing expenses in line with our smaller budget, we decided that a limited furlough program was the alternative that would have the least negative impact on our critical public safety functions," Goddard said. 

The $50,000 threshold was chosen, he said, because employees with higher incomes would, in most cases, be better able to handle the financial burden and should have more flexibility in adjusting their schedules.   

For further information, contact Megan Erickson at (602) 542-8012.