Governor Schweitzer Announces Montana Accountability Partnership Contest – Citizens Encouraged to Help Save State Money

Governor Brian Schweitzer today announced the Montana Accountability Partnership (MAP) contest, an idea contest to encourage both state employees and the public to help the state save money. The contest winner will receive a one ounce palladium coin donated by the Stillwater Mine. The one ounce coin is worth about $420 today.

“Just like Montana families have to make tough decisions about finances in these times, so does state government,” said Governor Brian Schweitzer. “We will continue to be accountable for every dollar.”

The Montana Accountability Partnership encourages citizens to submit cost savings and efficiency ideas that the State of Montana can use through an online submission form. The form can be found at http://www.governor.mt.gov.

Accountability ideas will be taken until April 1, 2010. The submissions will be reviewed and the top four voted on by the public. The winner will have their cost saving idea implemented and will win a palladium coin.

Accountability ideas should focus on saving money but can be anything from streamlining a process, to saving paper or reducing energy use. In order to be considered for the contest, ideas must be submitted to the Montana Accountability Partnership link found in the bottom right hand corner at http://www.governor.mt.gov by Thursday, April 1, 2010.

The MAP contest is in addition to Governor Schweitzer’s on-going cost saving measures.

State savings already announced by Governor Schweitzer:

* $4.5 million cancelling renovations of the Receiving Hospital Building on the Montana State Hospital Campus.

* $2 million in savings by state government by agreeing to suspend some wildfire-related equipment purchases and fuels reduction projects in 2010.

* $600,000 not bailing out Swank Enterprises clean up liabilities.

* $380,000 over the biennium with the elimination of the RDO positions in Commerce.

* $350,000 reducing out-of-state travel by 35 percent.

* $131,000 in savings from Department of Revenue printing less tax booklets.

* $119,000 in estimated savings by DNRC using video conferencing equipment instead of travel.

* $20,000 in estimated saving by not printing a state directory. Employees and the public will be able to use the directory online at mt.gov.