Pay Cuts for Beshear, Mongiardo

By Tony McVeigh

Frankfort, KY – In light of the state's budget crisis, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Lt. Governor Dan Mongiardo will take voluntary ten-percent pay cuts next year. Kentucky Public Radio's Tony McVeigh has more.

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Later this week, Governor Beshear will announce how the administration will deal with a projected 456-million dollar state revenue shortfall. He warns his plan will require sacrifices by everyone in state government, and he and Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo will begin by taking ten percent pay cuts in the next calendar year.

"It's obvious that this is not going to substantially affect the shortfall. But it's a symbol." Several members of the governor's senior staff have also volunteered to take ten percent cuts. The governor says he will not ask for the same from his cabinet secretaries, because many are already sacrificing better salaries in the private sector. Beshear makes around 124-thousand dollars a year. The lieutenant governor makes almost 102-thousand.