Employees of high court won’t be forced to take furlough days
CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court's 160 employees will not be required to take unpaid furlough days, at least for now.
In making the announcement last week, the court cited program savings, saying it has returned more money to the state general fund than would have occurred with furloughs.
During the 2009 session, the Legislature approved a plan to save 4.6 percent of state salary costs by requiring state employees, including court employees, to take one unpaid day off a month.
The Supreme Court, however, is an independent, co-equal branch of government that does not have to follow legislative decisions.
But justices announced in July that they would meet each quarter and determine whether furloughs were necessary.
During a public hearing last week, justices said their budget analysts determined that through program savings the court returned $85,908 more to the general fund in the July through September quarter than would have been reverted by furloughs.
They said in the Nov. 13 order that court revenues generally are lowest during that quarter and they expect savings will continue and the court can revert a substantial amount of money during the current fiscal year.
Nonetheless, the justices said they have directed their staff to prepare a plan for one day per month of "minimal operations" in case furloughs become necessary in coming months.
The court employees are not the only state employees to avoid furloughs. The state Board of Examiners voted Nov. 10 to exempt Department of Corrections employees from the furlough requirement because of safety concerns. The Legislature's Interim Finance Committee will review this decision Thursday.
In its order, the seven justices also pointed out that in the 2008-09 fiscal year they reverted $2.5 million to the general fund, which was three times the 7.9 percent reversion Gov. Jim Gibbons requested from state agencies.
Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.
