ROB MCKENNA
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF WASHINGTON
University of Washington Division • Box 359475 Seattle WA 98195-9475 • Phone (206) 543-4150 • Fax (206) 543-0779
MEMORANDUM February 12, 2009 TO: Phyllis Wise, Provost & Executive Vice President Box 351237 Jack G. Johnson, Division Chief Box 359475 Budget Reductions Plans for Fiscal Year 2009 and Fiscal Year 2010 UW File No. UW93-0102 (123)
FROM:
SUBJECT:
As requested, this memo outlines my office’s plan for reducing our budget in the current fiscal year and the approach we would take if required to make certain levels of reduction for the coming fiscal year. FY 2009 Reductions Our plan for making reductions in our FY 2009 budget is to take the entire 1.5% cut ($9,399) in Budget 01-4212, 06-00 (Equipment – Temporary Funds). FY 2010 Reductions As you probably know, the salaries of attorneys in my office are paid by the budget of the Attorney General’s Office, which is primarily funded through a “legal services revolving fund” appropriated by the state legislature. The UW budget for my office covers our support staff and most of our general office resources. To reduce our FY 2010 budget to the specified levels, our plan would be as follows: 8% $45,528 $ 4,837 $50,365 10% $48,666 $14,290 $62,956 12% $61,257 $14,290 $75,547
Eliminate staff positions Eliminate library resources
Memorandum March 02, 2009
Library resources would be the least painful cut for our office. We are working to find alternatives to purchasing library materials ourselves, including making more use of the UW Law Library and the AGO’s Olympia Law Library, as well as online resources. Eliminating support staff would have a significant effect. Such a loss would create an additional burden directly on our remaining support staff and attorneys. Indirectly it would increase the ratio of attorneys-to-staff, creating additional duties for other staff positions and inevitably shifting some work to the attorneys. The elimination of student assistants would also increase the workload of the office staff. At this time students assist our legal secretaries, paralegals, and attorneys with photocopying and running errands as well as the preparation of trial exhibits and the redaction of documents produced pursuant to public records requests and litigation. These tasks would primarily need to be picked up by our support staff. The loss of our remaining law clerk positions would be less direct and less tangible. We have always been proud of our ability to provide a top quality legal experience for law clerks from law schools in Washington and around the country. Over the past decade we have gone from ten paid law clerks per summer to two. Eliminating these two remaining paid positions entirely would primarily mean a diminished quality of education for these students. We would continue to offer volunteer “extern” opportunities to law students in a financial position to take advantage of that option. If you would like any additional information about any of these reductions, please contact me at 543-4150.
JGJ:ejd Attachment: FY 09 Form