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GOPB presents conservative FY 2027 proposal; staff warn cuts would hit personnel and local programs
Summary
The Governor's Office of Planning and Budget told the subcommittee its FY 2027 recommendation adds no new executive-branch FTEs on state funds and prioritizes cost-optimization. Staff warned a 5% cut would likely require personnel reductions and described a request to move suicide prevention funding and preserve community advisor grants.
The Governor's Office of Planning and Budget (GOPB) told the General Government Appropriations Subcommittee it is proposing a restrained FY 2027 base budget with no new executive‑branch full‑time equivalents on state funds and no new bonding.
Sofia DeCarlo, GOPB executive director, said the administration's package emphasizes keeping prior investments and managing inflationary pressures while seeking efficiencies through ongoing projects such as the customer experience initiative. "Our budget requested no new executive branch FTE with state funds," DeCarlo said, and GOPB highlighted more than $10 million in cost optimization and another $10 million in cost avoidance as evidence of efficiency work.
Duncan Evans, GOPB senior managing director of budget and operations, told the panel that personnel costs dominate the governor's office budget (about 83 percent) and that a 5 percent cut translates into likely FTE reductions or attrition-based savings. "If the governor had to cut 5% from his budget, that would... likely have to be a cutting in FTE," Evans said, adding that some adjustments would need to wait for attrition or be temporarily backfilled with one‑time money.
GOPB also described specific line-item concerns. Staff proposed transferring $100,000 for suicide prevention from the Governor's Office to the Department of Health and Human Services to consolidate suicide‑prevention funding. They also warned that the Community Advisors program's funding could face a 25 percent reduction if a proposed cut is implemented on top of an earlier session reduction; GOPB proposed restoring some of that money with one‑time funds and requested $1.5 million in nonlapsing authority to carry forward priorities.
The Lieutenant Governor's Office was discussed alongside GOPB because many of its services (notary, authentication, lobbyist registration) are fee funded. Staff explained how fee revenue and general fund dollars have been allocated across shared positions and how that allocation can obscure which staff costs should be borne by fees versus the general fund.
No formal votes were taken on the GOPB recommendations during the hearing. Staff said committee members should expect detailed line-item presentations from agencies in the coming weeks as the subcommittee finalizes its recommendations for the Executive Appropriations Committee.
Next steps: GOPB staff will provide more granular cost and staffing data where available; the subcommittee will continue agency presentations and consider the timing and scope of any proposed reduction options.
