Otter imposes statewide hiring freeze

Gov. Butch Otter has imposed a statewide hiring freeze, a ban on all bonuses or pay increases, a ban on overtime pay without prior approval from his Division of Financial Management, and sharp limits on all purchasing. “I understand that implementing these instructions may be difficult, but I assure you they are necessary,” Otter wrote in a letter this morning to all state agency directors. The moves come because of the state’s growing revenue crunch, he said.