Tagged: Washington State Government

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The massive snow and freezing rain storm that pummeled the Pacific Northwest has caused a power outage at Gov. Chris Gregoire's office, legislative buildings and other state agencies in Olympia.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The head of Washington's largest state agency has announced her resignation. Department of Social and Health Services Secretary Susan Dreyfus announced Wednesday she will leave at the end of the year to take a job in her home state of Wisconsin. Her departure comes as the agency prepares for another round of budget cuts.

While it's a good idea to be prepared, sometimes it's good not to move too fast. 

Apparently there are glitches in the state's new "Good to Go" tolling system.  The State Department of Transportation says it will revamp the sign-up process after complaints by frustrated motorists trying to buy transponders online.  As Mike Lindblom reports in The Seattle Times:

When you visit the Washington State Ferries website in 2011, you'll find something new:  banner advertising.   It's a one year pilot project.  The state is looking for new ways to increase revenue, and that could include advertising on its websites.

Gov. Chris Gregoire has unveiled a two-year budget plan that uses a mix of cuts to state programs, suspension of voter initiatives and use of the state's "rainy day" reserve to patch a projected $4.6 billion deficit.

Governor Chris Gregoire is proposing to consolidate 12 state agencies and in the process eliminate 125 jobs. It’s part of her plan to reduce the size and, what she calls, “complexity” of Washington state government. The state faces  a $4.6 billion gap between anticipated revenues and spending in the next two year budget.