CHARLESTON, W.Va – Gov. Joe Manchin today announced West Virginia was selected as one of three states to partner with the Pew Center on the States in a year-long program to strengthen state operations and save tax dollars.
The states of Georgia and Ohio will join West Virginia to accelerate state improvements in targeted areas. In this partnership, each state will receive intensive management support from Pew experts and advisors, along with a monetary offering of $50,000. Each state project, included in “Pew’s Management Lab,” will focus on a specific challenge to improve statewide results and will share what works with other states to spur government improvements nationwide.
West Virginia will establish new statewide planning and budgeting systems that will enable the state to ensure the best return on public investments. “We know we can and must do better to improve our planning and budgeting process,” Gov. Joe Manchin said. “We are pleased to have this opportunity to save taxpayer dollars while delivering better service to our hard-working West Virginians.”
Georgia’s project will build a system to analyze spending data for all state agencies, universities and colleges that could save millions. Ohio will create new human resources guidelines for all state departments to ensure that personnel are most effectively deployed across the state.
"Given this valuable resource from the Pew Center on the States, West Virginia is anticipating great ideas to develop as our own representation from our key experts in the financial arena work hand-in-hand for positive outcomes," said Cabinet Secretary Ferguson, who is chairing the project on behalf of the state.
All 50 states were eligible to apply for the program and projects were selected based on the ability to assemble a senior-level team responsible for implementing improvement strategies with results for state taxpayers. “The economic downturn calls for decisions based on proven results and tangible benefits to the public,” said Susan Urahn, Managing Director, The Pew Center on the States. “State governments that improve performance and increase efficiencies will be in the strongest position to weather the challenges of this economy.”
The new Management Labs build off the work of Pew’s Grading the States Report. Pew has been examining all 50 states’ management of money, people, information and infrastructure for more than ten years.