Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says he has finalized initial state spending cuts of $250 million dollars as part of efforts to address a budget shortfall that is expected to top a billion dollars.
The shortfall is due to the 1-2 punch of the coronavirus slowdown and downturns in the coal, oil and natural gas industries made worse by the pandemic.
The cuts are 10% of the state budget and follow a freeze on state hiring and large contracts that Gordon ordered in April. They will be followed by an additional 10% reduction totaling another $250 million.
State Budget Director Kevin Hibbard says that among the results of the cuts will be the elimination of 274 mostly full-time state jobs this year. Many are already vacant, but many are not.