Kyler Lunde
Klunde1@uwyo.edu
Top Wyoming governmental officials have received sizable pay raises while the university’s fiscal future remains uncertain.
A message from UW President Dick McGinity earlier this month emphasized the university’s fiscal realities are going to warrant discipline and teamwork. Though the state’s decline in revenue is far from a new subject, its specific implications in context of the university are becoming more apparent.
“For UW, the 1.5 percent budget reduction mandated by the legislature for the coming biennium requires a $5.8 million spending cut from 2016 levels over the next two fiscal years,” McGinity said.
The university’s administrative and academic units have been informed about the general reductions they must make, McGinity said.
The UW Modern and Classical Language Department was contacted in order to inquire what the reductions will mean for its branch, but the department had no comment at this time.
UW will be reducing its operating budget, contributing to the construction of a financial and reporting system, and taking care of other pressing, internal costs.
“There’s no question that this cut will be felt by UW’s employees, students and other constituents,” McGinity said. “Tuition increases will help, but cannot alone address revenue shortfalls. Everything must be on the table.”
The legislature did not approve any funding for state employee pay-raises in the coming biennium.
“UW will have to look to internal reallocations, in addition to scheduled tuition increases, to fill the growing gap between UW salaries and those of our competitors,” McGinity said.
Simultaneously to news on the university’s budget, base payroll for Gov. Matt Mead’s office has risen by over 11 percent throughout the past two years, according to pay figures Mead’s office has provided to the Associated Press. These documents also showed Mead’s chief of staff, Kari Gray, has seen almost a 40 percent pay-raise in the last two years.
Though several Wyoming lawmakers have pushed for a freeze of future pay-raises, Mead has vetoed this arguing that the state needs to be able to appeal to top administrators, according to an article written in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Adam Croft, executive director of Better Wyoming, spoke on behalf of this organization, which is in opposition to these governmental pay raises.
“During this economic downturn, it doesn’t make sense for the governor to be taking a pay-raise,” Croft said. “While paying public servants and incentivizing people is important, now is the wrong time to be doing this.”
In response to Mead stating these raises are necessary to attract suitable administrators, Croft said he did not agree.
“There is no lack of qualified people who would want to take these jobs,” Croft said. “There are so many unemployed people; this is backwards.”
While so many Wyoming workers are being laid-off, Croft said top officials taking pay raises is hypocritical.
“Public servants need to accept less money if the state is going to succeed,” Croft said. “These raises are not in everyone’s best interest.”
In regards to UW enduring the cuts it currently is, Croft described the pay-raises of top government officials as deplorable.
“Some priorities aren’t given the same economic value as others,” Croft said.
