Alaska’s state agencies continue to operate with pre-COVID levels of travel and outreach expenditures despite tightened fiscal realities. This section targets savings from administrative travel, public relations, and duplicative communications budgets, while proposing a centralized travel rewards and optimization program to reduce long-term government costs.
STRUCTURAL REFORMS
Eliminate Non-Essential Travel
— Freeze non-mission-critical travel across all agencies.
— Require commissioner-level justification for all out-of-state or non-operational travel.
— Prioritize video conferencing and regional hubs for training.
Limit PR and Outreach Spending
— Reduce or eliminate media consultants, promotional campaigns, and vanity publications.
— Consolidate outreach efforts across departments to avoid duplication.
Centralize Travel Management
— Establish a state-negotiated airline mileage/rewards program.
— Require all departments to book through a centralized travel portal.
— Reinvest mileage credits into future state-required travel.
Implementation Tools
— Administrative Order directing agencies to cut travel and PR budgets by fixed percentages.
— Procurement of a centralized travel management platform through GSA or private sector.
— Budget instructions are issued to departments annually during OMB budget reviews.
Oversight and Monitoring
— Departments must submit quarterly travel and communications expenditure reports.
— OMB will audit compliance and report results publicly.
— Program sunsets after 3 years unless renewed by Legislature.
The views expressed herein are those of the author.
7 Comments
We need a governor of strength and good, strong will to overcome the evil this Dunleavy has done to the state of fraud, waste and abuse. He is one of the worst managers this state has ever had. The people he has hired for his evil intention as a hand fits in a glove. Time for the “winds of change” to blow in the direction of the state and reestablish trust and honesty to government for each and every person within our residential boundaries.
I could not agree more Diana! WE NEED A GOVERNOR…. we don’t need Shelly Hughes, we don’t need Adam Crum, we don’t need treg Taylor, or any of the other clap trap entrenched useless egotistical elitist asses that determined themselves as essential experts at the expense of the practical common sense logically brained hard working people! WHAT WE NEED IS A
REVOLUTION, REFORMATION, REVIVAL
PRAY…………..PREPARE………….PROCEED
vote for Dave Maxwell governor, it’s time!
The ability of state empliyees to travel on the state purse yet retain personal mileage credit creates a huge disincentive for frugality. Employees should forfeit travel miles to the state when airfare is paid by state agencies.
“Require all departments to book through a centralized travel portal.” I thought that was the purpose of the State Travel Office (STO) otherwise now known as E-Travel for all Departments to use for all travel arrangements? Of course there are those in State Government that follow the saying: “Do as I say, not as I do”.
SEE https://doa.alaska.gov/dof/travel/services.html
When is E-Travel Required?
Booking travel on scheduled air carriers
Reserving rental cars
Full-service travel arrangements that include air, hotel, and/or car.
*Air travel for all state-funded executive branch travelers, including board and commission members, clients, witnesses, etc. is arranged by E-Travel.
Travel is already booked through the E-Travel website, so that already happens and hotels already offer the government rate, which is usually the lowest rate. Booking hotels direct with the government rate avoids paying fees/commission to the E-travel system (its not free to use that system). When you say some of these things quickly they sound good, but the reality is much different. Take Commissioner level travel approval for example, many Commissioners are very busy with running their departments, so adding another layer of bureaucratic red tape to that position is not efficient. Airfare changes all the time, and I can tell you from personal experience that by the time higher level management approves the request, the airfare has doubled in price. Let’s look at another, video conferencing can work in some situations, but in my experiences, there is value in meeting in person, being part of larger discussions that are not available via video. While I appreciate and would like to see a reduction in state spending, there are other things that can make a larger impact. Consider efficiencies in work productivity by leveraging modern IT systems instead of the antiquated systems used by many departments and/or divisions.
What a joke. You people should book travel through the state travel office some time. That travesty seemingly buys the most expensive tickets possible. Every state employee could book air. Hotel, car etc for less and better seats and times, but NO! You gotta use these tools and pay them for the privilege besides.
In this day and age of modern technology of video teleconferencing, why is the state not using more of this? The military started using it back in the early 2000’s to cut costs of traveling to meetings and conferences. The guard has distance learning centers around the state with secure VTC. The governor has a secure VTC set up that rides on the DOD net just for his use. For the cost of moving, traveling to and from Juneau, perdeim; legislators can be issued secure VTC equipment and they can work from their district. Legislators love hiding out from their employers. Juneau makes it perfect with the $1000 airfare which most employers (taxpayers) don’t want to spend.