The administration of Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin is asking Vermont agencies to identify government programs that could be cut as they work to assemble the outgoing governor's last spending plan.
Secretary of Administration Justin Johnson is asking agency heads to show him what would happen if they capped next year's budget at this year's spending levels.
Vermont Public Radio reports Johnson has requested that agencies identify a single program that would either be drastically modified or eliminated to achieve this year's necessary savings. He says it's an exercise, not a final policy decision.
Initial budget proposals from agencies are due this week. Johnson says final budget directives will be issued in mid-December.
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