Assembly committee frowns on raises for Guinn staff

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposal to give pay raises to his top staff appeared dead in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, only minutes after it was unveiled on Tuesday.

Guinn, in his budget, is proposing to hire fewer people but to pay higher wages. Deputy State Budget Director Don Hataway, in defending the plan, told the committee the governor wants the flexibility to recruit staff.

But Committee Chairman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, said there was a "fear factor" that the Legislature would not be able to monitor the salaries being paid the staff of the governor.

Traditionally the Legislature gives each agency an allocation of money, sets the number of employees that can be hired and limits the amount in law that can be paid the top executives in the staff.

After the meeting, Arberry said if the Legislature approved Guinn's plan, every agency would try to follow suit, and salaries would end up out of control.

Hataway said, however, that the Legislature controls the amount of money each agency gets, and that lawmakers could be provided information on any salary increases given.

The Guinn plan was unveiled after he suggested freezing the pay of most of the 15,000 other state workers because of a lack of money.

The state's elected officials, including Guinn, already received big raises this year, Assemblywoman Jan Evans, D-Sparks, noted during the discussion. The raises were passed in the 1997 Legislature.

Meanwhile Guinn is looking at clamping down on the way other agencies spend their money. On Tuesday, he held the first meeting of the state Board of Examiners, of which he is chairman.

The board approves claims against the state, leases by state agencies for office space and contracts by agencies with private business.

Guinn said he wants to "push toward a more uniform way" in awarding contracts. One agency may hire a private firm to do its gardening for $6,500 a month while another agency may contract for the same service at $5,500 with another company, he said

He zeroed in on agencies leasing private office space, saying those who do the leasing may not have the training to get the state the best deal.

Thousands of dollars can be saved by negotiating a lease for a penny less a square foot, he pointed out.

He asked state Budget Director Perry Comeaux to supply him the qualifications of those who do the negotiations.

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