Dayton Officials Highlight Cost-Cutting Changes

Gov. Mark Dayton's administration is highlighting quick bureaucratic changes they say have already saved the state tens of millions of dollars.

Tina Smith, Dayton's chief of staff, says that although the savings may be dwarfed by the governor's proposed $38 billion budget, it's part of his wider effort to make Minnesota's government smarter and more efficient. Smith and two of Dayton's commissioners highlighted different programs Friday in a conference call.

Administration Commissioner Spencer Cronk says they've saved $12 million from training sessions to help employees work faster, like cutting delivery time on permit renewals.

Carolyn Parnell, the state's chief information officer, says the state has saved about $19 million last year by centralizing information technology staff. Some of those savings will be used to improve aging and costly technology systems.

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