By Steven Allen Adams, The Intelligencer
CHARLESTON – A new legislative audit found that West Virginia state departments and agencies receive funding for full-time jobs that have gone unfilled for years, costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
The Post Audits Subcommittee of the Legislature received a report Sunday from the Legislature’s Performance Evaluation and Research Division on job vacancies in state government. Sunday was the first day of September legislative interim meetings.
According to the report, more than $226 million was appropriated in the fiscal year 2022 executive budget in salaries and benefits for 4,857 vacant positions funded by both state tax dollars and other sources of state and federal funding.
“Each year, several millions of dollars are appropriated for budgeted vacant positions, many of which have been vacant for several years with no evidence that agencies are trying to fill them,” said Lukas Griffith, senior analyst for PERD…
To read more: https://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2022/09/west-virginia-spends-millions-on-unfilled-state-jobs-report-finds/