Reducing Administration Staff to 2005-06 levels Could Save $5 million

Senator Darrel J. Aubertine

Dear NYSCOPBA Member,

Today, the New York State Senate Majority released a report confirming that real significant savings can be found by trimming back the Department of Correctional Services' oversized administration. The potential savings will help us keep our Upstate Correctional Facilities open. Please take a moment to read the news release.

ALBANY (February 1, 2010)-New York State could save as much as $15 million in 2010-11-more savings than projected in the executive budget for closing Ogdensburg and three other Upstate facilities-if the department turned its focus to bloated administration, redundant back office staff, and new efforts to reduce overtime, according to a report released on Monday by Deputy Majority Leader Jeffrey D. Klein and Sen. Diane Savino.

In the press release announcing the report, Sen. Savino said, "Those providing the direct care and supervision of its inmates have seen a disproportionate share of budget cuts, while administrative spending has grown. This issue must be addressed within the department, as well as in other agencies throughout the state. We must look at curbing inefficient spending before we proceed with cuts that will directly impact the health and well-being of New Yorkers."

This report backs up the contention by Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine and others opposed to the closure of the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility and three others Upstate: Real and immediate cuts can be made in corrections without affecting the hard working men and women who staff the correctional facilities and are vital to the rural communities they live in. As it stands, inmate populations have declined by more than 20,000, while 2,500 correction officers have lost their jobs in the last 10 years, yet administration continues to grow.

"If inmates are down and we've already made cuts to the number of correction officers, why have we seen administration grow?" Sen. Aubertine questioned. "Who are they administering? It's clear that this department is top-heavy and the only way we're going to see any real savings is to make cuts that impact this year's budget. That's why it's important we look at waste before we go closing down well-run facilities with a dedicated and experienced staff like we have in Ogdensburg."

According to the report, reducing administration levels in Albany-where DOCS houses ZERO inmates-to 2006 levels, or 60-plus administrative positions at more than $80,000 in salary and benefits, would amount to about $5 million in savings for 2010-11, more than closing all four Upstate prisons would have combined next year. Looking next at administrative savings within each hub could add to that number.

Additionally, the report talks about the reliance on overtime pay for employees to complete day-to-day operations. Sen. Aubertine questioned how reducing the workforce further will relieve overtime. Over the past 10 years, staff reductions have only added to astronomical overtime numbers in the report, which include a handful of employees earning between 1.5 and 2.7 times their annual salary in overtime alone.