State Supreme Court delivers on budget cuts

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court announced Thursday that it made five times the budget cuts requested by Gov. Jim Gibbons during the fiscal year that ended June 30.

The court returned nearly $2 million to the general fund, which represented 27.4 percent of its state general fund budget.

Gibbons asked the court and state agencies to cut their spending by 4.5 percent during the fiscal year because of declining state tax revenues.

He and legislators also this summer cut another 3.3 percent in state agency spending because of the deepening economic recession.

"The Supreme Court has gone beyond what we and most state agencies have been asked to do," Justice James Hardesty said. "The judiciary is a careful steward of its funds, and a willing partner with the executive and legislative branches."

Of the $1.99 million reverted to the state, $970,884 represented budget reductions.

The other $1,022,630 came primarily because of unexpected increases in administrative assessments made by courts. The court forwarded that money to the general fund.

"The Supreme Court has been successful in conserving public resources," Chief Justice Mark Gibbons said. "And we have managed to conserve without major adverse impacts on court operations."

The Supreme Court received $21,110,825 in state appropriations during the fiscal year, but held expenditures to $19,117,311.