Virginia Lawyers Weekly

The Virginia Attorney General’s office is not waiting for the budget ax to fall from Gov. Tim Kaine’s office before cutting spending. Reacting to warnings of state agency cuts, Attorney General Bob McDonnell and nine of his top deputies are taking voluntary 2-percent salary reductions.

Chief Deputy AG Bill Mims explained that the pay cuts are “recognition that those in executive positions should lead the way and should set an example.”

The salary cuts are part of a 9-percent spending reduction plan being implemented by the Office of the Attorney General in hopes of avoiding layoffs, according to Mims.

Earlier this month, Kaine directed state agency heads to submit plans by the end of the month for cuts of 5 percent, 10 percent and 15 percent of their budgets. Mims said the attorney general’s office is “proactively” putting its 9-percent plan in place.

The salary reductions are expected to save an estimated $25,000 over the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.

“Attorney General McDonnell believed that it was important to go ahead and tighten our belt even before any directive comes from the Kaine administration,” Mims said.

The reduction plan includes what Mims called a hiring “freeze.”

For the remainder of the fiscal year, if a vacancy occurs at the AG’s office, “we will inquire if it’s feasible to leave the position vacant for a period of time,” Mims said.

Mims said that McDonnell hopes to avoid what happened in October 2002, when a total of 51 employees of the attorney general’s office were laid off, including 10 lawyers. Those job cuts came in response to a call for 15-percent spending reductions from then-Gov. Mark Warner.

“This agency incurred very significant layoffs in 2002 and it had quite a negative impact on morale,” Mims said. “We want to avoid those types of layoffs as much as we possibly can.”

Other expense-cutting initiatives include:

• Elimination of the $250 stipend for attorneys’ continuing legal education
• Reduction of the mileage reimbursement allowed for use of personal vehicles
• Significant reduction of overnight travel
• Reduced use of temporary staff
• Scaling back of grant programs that depend on contributions from general fund accounts
• Scrutiny of printing, telephone, facsimile and overnight mail costs

The Office of the Attorney General employs 332 people. More than half of that number are attorneys.

The attorney general’s salary is $150,000.

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