State agencies have squirreled away a total of $288.8 million in unexpended appropriations, according to a report by state Auditor Glen Gainer.
Senate Finance Chairman Mike Hall, R-Putnam, said the Legislature may be able to tap into some of those funds to help close budget shortfalls in the current and 2016-17 state budgets.
"It will be on a case-by-case basis," Hall said. "Many agencies may have good reason why they've accumulated this money over time for a one-time event."
In his annual budget presentation to the Senate Finance Committee, Gainer outlined the unexpended reappropriations that have rolled over in some agency accounts from year to year.
While some of the rollover could be simple timing issues, he said, a significant amount of the $288 million has rolled over for multiple years.
"About $37 million of that is greater than five years old," Gainer said. "It's been reappropriated, reappropriated, reappropriated."
Hall said he was talking with representatives from one agency, which he did not identify, who were complaining about pending cuts in the governor's budget plan.
Reviewing the unexpended reappropriations report, Hall said the agency had about $7 million in rollover funds.
"That could be the explanation for why their budget was cut the way it was," he said.
Proportionately, the Senate itself has one of the larger surpluses, with $27.99 million in unexpended reappropriations.
Hall said it's likely some of that surplus will be used this year, with the possibility the 2016-17 budget bill including little or no funding for the Senate's operating costs. The governor's budget bill recommends $5.95 million funding for the Senate.
While the Legislature may be able to use some of the $288 million to close the budget gaps, Hall said it will not solve the budget crisis.
"It's one-time money," he said. "It's not a permanent fix."
Also during his presentation, Gainer said:
The conversion of state employees from twice monthly to biweekly pay will resume this spring, after being put on hold in November over concerns from legislative leaders that the new system, with 26 pay periods a year, overpays state employees.
"Over 80 percent of the largest private-sector employers pay their employees biweekly, and they don't use a bastardized decimal point," Gainer said, referring to a legislative proposal to calculate 26.08928571 pay periods to eliminate what they see as an extra day's pay each year.
"Our new system can handle that decimal point, but I believe employees should be paid for every day they work," he said, adding, "The savings in biweekly pay far outweighs that supposed extra day of pay."
For the second straight year, state payroll has declined.
In 2015, the state paid an average of $8.94 million a day in wages and benefits to state employees. That was down from $9.1 million in 2014, and from the peak of $9.12 million in 2013.
The state provided W-2 forms for approximately 69,619 employees in 2015, down from 69,797 in 2014 and 71,291 in the peak year of 2012. The W-2 forms include part-time, temporary and seasonal employees.
Reach Phil Kabler at
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304 348-1220, or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.