Legislators scrutinize MnSCU payouts

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A group of state legislators grilled higher education officials on large retirement payouts Thursday.At a meeting headed by Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca, a subcommittee addressed their concerns that Minnesota State Colleges and University (MnSCU) officials and employees had received excessive payouts from unused sick and vacation time that has accrued over a number of years.Parry, chair of the Subcommittee on Employee Relations, called for the hearing after the Pioneer Press reported in November that the state paid out about $57 million for unused sick time and about $32 million for vacation time between January 2008 and June 2011Of the 20 largest payouts, 18 went to MnSCU employees, according to a letter from Parry.At the meeting, legislators said it’s uncommon for private-sector employees to receive built up sick time in the form of a payout.Parry said companies usually force employees to use their vacation time so that they’re rested and perform well on the job.”I’m forced to take [my two weeks], why aren’t they forced to take theirs?” Parry said after the meeting.MnSCU vice chancellor for finance and facilities Laura King defended the payouts at the hearing.”MnSCU is not providing compensation that is out of line with the market,” King said.Members on the subcommittee also addressed why employees don’t just receive higher salaries as opposed to the payouts.”My worry is that many of these things are not transparent to the people,” said Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Wazeppa.In a Dec. 15 letter to MnSCU chancellor Steven Rosenstone, Parry noted his concerns of the payouts and urged Rosenstone to place limitations on retirement payouts in your next contract.”If reforms are not made in the interest of protecting the taxpayers…we retain the authority to modify the contract,” Parry said in the letter. Continue Reading

$241M facelift for state Capitol awaits approval in Legislature

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Restorations to the aging state Capitol building in St. Paul took a step forward last week but were met with questions about funding and timing from legislators.The state’s Capitol Preservation Commission approved a report that recommended spending $241 million to repair and restore the 107-year-old building.Originally designed by renowned St. Paul architect Cass Gilbert and completed in 1905, the building needs major repairs to its mechanical systems and safety features, the report said, concluding the building is at a “tipping point.”Although the commission eventually approved the report, which is pending legislative approval, legislators addressed concerns of paying for the restoration, the necessity of the project and the timing of the construction, which could force lawmakers to temporarily leave the Capitol.‘Tipping point’If root problems with mechanical and electrical systems aren’t addressed now, more expensive repairs will be needed in the future, the report said.Crews are currently working on the outer dome of the Capitol — a $13.4 million project that started in 2008.But the latest proposal is the biggest and most expensive in the building’s history, said Brian Pease, the historic site manager of the Capitol for the Minnesota Historical Society. Pease said that he didn’t think the Capitol had ever been closed in the past for restorations.In addition to replacing mechanical and electrical systems, “life-safety systems” in the building need to be updated, the report said. According to the report, there is no smoke control system and “only a limited sprinkler system.”The current Capitol is the third in the state’s history. Continue Reading