North Dakota agencies propose cuts to staff, other areas to meet 90 percent budget mandate - Mike Nowatzki, Forum News

In the state auditor’s office, where 89 percent of the budget is tied up in salaries, State Auditor Robert R. Peterson said he proposed eliminating four of the six auditor positions that lawmakers shifted to his office from the North Dakota University System last year. Peterson said the cuts mean two auditors will lose their jobs and audits of the North Dakota University System will take longer, but the office has other mandates that must be met. “This was the least painful choice,” he said. Two of the four positions are currently unfilled, having been held vacant to meet the across-the-board cuts of 4.05 percent ordered by Dalrymple in February after a revised revenue forecast projected a $1.07 billion shortfall for the current biennium. http://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/north-dakota-agencies-propose-cuts-to-staff-other-areas-to/article_b0586351-9163-5c47-96f1-9e043bedec76.html