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Governor's office defends staffing plan, seeks to transition ARPA-funded roles to general fund
Summary
Deputy Chief of Staff Debbie Reynolds and Tiffany Greenemeyer of the Governor's Finance Office told the joint committee the governor requests general fund support to continue four positions that were previously paid with ARPA dollars and that some salary budget lines were underfunded in the governor's recommended budget.
Deputy Chief of Staff Debbie Reynolds told the joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committee on Oct. 12, 2025, that the Governor's Office is requesting general fund support to continue several positions previously paid from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and to correct salary lines that were underfunded in the recommended budget.
Reynolds said the governor's base budget covers 29 nonclassified positions in the Office of the Governor and listed several small technical adjustments in the request, including software and laptop replacements. She described four positions previously funded by ARPA that the governor recommends continuing on general fund: deputy policy director, press assistant, deputy general counsel and an infrastructure and economic development coordinator. "The need for these positions still exists," Reynolds said, explaining the duties will remain but the funding source will shift as ARPA funds sunset.
Why it matters: committee members pressed the administration for specifics about unspent authority and staffing plans. Assemblyman Watts asked why additional salary authority passed last session (SB 431) had not been fully spent; Reynolds said delays in filling positions and turnover caused reversions but that the administration expects to fully spend the FY25 personnel projections. Tiffany Greenemeyer, Director of the Governor's Finance Office, said personnel-service projections are currently expected to be expended but cautioned projections may change as vacancies and hires occur.
Committee members also sought clarity about roughly $450,000 of unallocated salary authority and about a $900,000 figure tied to prior legislative action. Reynolds said some salary lines were not budgeted to reflect the correct employer retirement rates and that agency fiscal staff will work with legislative fiscal staff "within the next week" to provide updated cost estimates for staffing.
The administration noted that certain positions (PCNs 41 and 513 cited in testimony) may be filled in the future to provide administrative, communications, research or operations support and that some ARPA-funded positions were created to support ARPA-related projects that will continue in different funding patterns.
Ending: The committee did not take action; the governor's office staff offered to provide updated staffing-cost details to legislative fiscal staff ahead of later budget decisions.
