DENVER — Colorado on Tuesday announced mandatory furlough days for state employees making more than $50,000 per year, in an effort to address the state's budget shortfall amid the COVID-19 crisis.
“Colorado is facing one of the most challenging economic crises in our history, and public agencies are facing difficult budget constraints," Gov. Jared Polis said in a news release. "Just as the private sector is tightening its belt, so too must the government. This thoughtful furlough plan helps address the state's budget shortfall while ensuring that our lower wage workers are not impacted and we can continue to deliver high quality critical services for Coloradans. I know this won’t be easy, but we’re in this together and know that we’ll bounce back even stronger than before.
State employees who meet the furlough requirement will have to take their furlough before the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year.
Employees who make $50,000.01 to $70,000 will have to take one furlough day. Employees from $70,000.01 to $90,000 will have to take two days. Employees from $90,000.01 to $140,000 will have to take three days, and employees above $140,000 will have to take four days.
Polis in a news conference Tuesday said he did not have an exact number on how much money the furloughs will save the state, but that officials would work to get the number.
Colorado lawmakers in May had projected a $3.3 billion shortfall for 2020-21 due to the coronavirus crisis, as opposed to a forecast $27 million surplus before COVID-19.
