Your Opinion - WDFW Budget Cuts

[bigtex]

Since the legislature is looking over these cuts, would it do any good to ask the legislators to force the cuts at the top?

Legislators have no authority or power to determine which positions are cut. For example they could cut the habitat program by 10%, they dont care if you fire the #2 position in the habitat program or the bottom 10, they just care that 10% is cut.

[Axle]

Bearpaw, I say cut the whole damn budjet 100 percent and let HunWa manage the critters.

We will start by getting rid of all the wolves and most of the cougars. Then we will see some serious hunting going on in this state. The kind of hunting that brings other hunters from other states.

I say - Bearpaw for president!!!!! Then we can sit around the campfire eating elk burgers and chant things like - four more beers! - four more beers! - four more beers!

[Special T]

Big Tex atta-boy at scrounging this stuff up! But uh er can you decipher what the different columns are? Of course the don't have a cheet sheet to decipher their budget

[bearpaw]

Bearpaw, I say cut the whole damn budjet 100 percent and let HunWa manage the critters.

We will start by getting rid of all the wolves and most of the cougars. Then we will see some serious hunting going on in this state. The kind of hunting that brings other hunters from other states.

I say - Bearpaw for president!!!!! Then we can sit around the campfire eating elk burgers and chant things like - four more beers! - four more beers! - four more beers!

 

Better go with whacker, his profession may not be as controversial...

On a more serious note, you guys are saying the legislature has little control over designating funds, are you sure about that?

[mulehunter]

Bearpaw, I say cut the whole damn budjet 100 percent and let HunWa manage the critters.

We will start by getting RID of all the wolves .   

I say - Bearpaw for president!!!!! Then we can sit around the campfire eating elk burgers and chant things like - four more beers! - four more beers! - four more beers!

   

Mulehunter   

[bigtex]

Bearpaw, I say cut the whole damn budjet 100 percent and let HunWa manage the critters.

We will start by getting rid of all the wolves and most of the cougars. Then we will see some serious hunting going on in this state. The kind of hunting that brings other hunters from other states.

I say - Bearpaw for president!!!!! Then we can sit around the campfire eating elk burgers and chant things like - four more beers! - four more beers! - four more beers!

 

Better go with whacker, his profession may not be as controversial...

On a more serious note, you guys are saying the legislature has little control over designating funds, are you sure about that?

No, we are saying the legislature has little control in how agencies conduct their budget cuts. The legislature doesn’t control over what positions get eliminated, agencies do that. Like I posted, the legislature could say cut enforcement by X amount of money, they do not say cut X amount of field officers. So WDFW has to determine do they just cut field officers, do they cut field supervisors, or do they cut positions at HQ. The legislature doesn’t care which position is cut, they only care that the funding is cut.

[bearpaw]

thanks for the detailed explanation, the clouds are gone now...

[Wacenturion]

They're hiring a Deputy Asst. Director.

http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/employment/jobs/1316_WMS_030910.pdf

Well they could start here.  This job basically is a position whose function it is to coordinate headquarters wildlife management business with that of the six regions.  In other words someone to act on behalf of the Wildlife Management Assistant Director in communicating department business with regional staff....regional wildlife program managers.  Which by the way accounts for six more top paying, don't tell me how to run my region type attitude jobs, that are not needed.  See how easy these budget cuts can be......just probably saved 20+ field jobs with those cuts dollar wise.   

Getting back to the Deputy Assistant Director job......that's what the damn Assistant Director for Wildlife  is paid to do.......are you starting to see the waste at the top?  Every high end job in WDFW has assistants who get paid big dollars to do part of their supervisors job.  It's true......what ever happen to being accountable and getting paid to produce and make decisions?  Under the current setup....way too many chiefs to place blame...it just rolls downhill to field positions.

Sorry to tell you folks but this is what WDFW has become in the past 20 years............. a giant bowel like creature needing a good colonic!

[Wacenturion]

Bearpaw, I say cut the whole damn budjet 100 percent and let HunWa manage the critters.

We will start by getting rid of all the wolves and most of the cougars. Then we will see some serious hunting going on in this state. The kind of hunting that brings other hunters from other states.

I say - Bearpaw for president!!!!! Then we can sit around the campfire eating elk burgers and chant things like - four more beers! - four more beers! - four more beers!

 

Better go with whacker, his profession may not be as controversial...

On a more serious note, you guys are saying the legislature has little control over designating funds, are you sure about that?

No, we are saying the legislature has little control in how agencies conduct their budget cuts. The legislature doesn’t control over what positions get eliminated, agencies do that. Like I posted, the legislature could say cut enforcement by X amount of money, they do not say cut X amount of field officers. So WDFW has to determine do they just cut field officers, do they cut field supervisors, or do they cut positions at HQ. The legislature doesn’t care which position is cut, they only care that the funding is cut.

That's where the Commission in my opinion is dropping the ball.  The Commission is the Director's boss.  They can basically tell him what is needed to be cut or not cut........they too just don't have the knowledge or you know what's to do it.  If the Director doesn't do it......they can fire him....that simple.

[Wacenturion]

Don't forget to add the newly created climate control manager position in WDFW to the above 7 jobs I mentioned above......now we have 8 high paying, doesn't produce anything really viable positions.  Before you know it we'll be in the black and cutting license fees...lol.

[bearpaw]

Wacenturion, if I am reading correctly between the lines, the Commission needs to recieve a large bag of letters requesting cuts in current upper level management and elimination of this plan to hire even more managers.
 

[Wacenturion]

Food for thought.................WDFW doesn't really physically manage things on the ground for the most part...not all.  It's all theory and expanded scientific voodoo.  So if that's the case if you were to get rid of say half of the top end and make the agency whole, wildlife per se would not even now the difference.  Neither would we for that matter.

I know that sounds too simple, but just think on it for awhile.  Every time they face cuts they make excuses that are not even true.  The things they say are so critical as far as justifying the retention of top administrative type jobs and what they do is a shell game....they really don't do what they say, except in theory, sitting in countless pat themselves on the back worthless meetings.

[bearpaw]

I already was on all that page with you. I wonder if a bag of letters could get through to the commission?   

[bobcat]

I wonder if a bag of letters could get through to the commission?  

Drop them off in person at the next meeting. Isn't it coming up, March 12th I think...

[Wacenturion]

Wacenturion, if I am reading correctly between the lines, the Commission needs to recieve a large bag of letters requesting cuts in current upper level management and elimination of this plan to hire even more managers.
 

As I mentioned....the Director reports to and serves at the pleasure of the Fish and Wildlife Commission.  They hire and fire the Director, one of their biggest responsibilities.  To answer your between the lines.............that's the likely soft spot in the armour.  But with that being said, I don't see them as being the types to play hardball...........but you never know.

Too bad we don't have a Director who would be aggressive in reshaping that agency and convincing the Commission it the right thing to do with their concurrence.