UNC spending restricted more

Slightly more than a week after the University released a set of emergency budget guidelines the guidelines have been updated to place additional strictures on spending at UNC.

The guidelines which are derived from statewide budget limits mandated April 9 by Gov. Bev Perdue detail allowable expenditures as state officials struggle to manage North Carolina's budget crunch.

Tuesday's amendments tighten some limits even further. Notable updates include prohibiting even promotions that do not include a salary increase and encouraging departments to keep overtime hours to a minimum.

The revisions even address such topics as ordering office supplies with state funds — not allowed unless the entire campus runs out.

The amendments detail new exceptions to the previous set of guidelines such as permission to hire staff who won't begin work until the start of the next fiscal year not originally mentioned.

UNC's guidelines also allow for the possibility of instructional expenses" which must be approved by the Office of State Budget and Management.

But to what extent such exemptions will be granted remains to be seen.

""I think it's partly just reflected that there's been a change"" said Jean Folkerts, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Initially" there was more of a feeling that there would be more exemptions for instructional purposes" and the more recent feeling is that there will not be any exemptions at all.""

Folkerts said the journalism school's financial advisers found that exemption requests generally had been denied at the state level" although the school has received permission for at least one exemption related to the building of a new high-definition television studio. Smaller requests are still pending.

Mike McFarland director of University communications" stated in an e-mail that the restrictions still are too recent and too subject to change to gauge the success of such requests.

Among the most drastic limits is the freezing of hiring for staff positions unless a candidate already had been selected and informed of their start date and salary before April 9.

""The state-funded positions that were open have been treated as the budget guidelines call for"" said Kathy Bryant, communications director for UNC's Human Resources.

Even departments less directly affected by hiring constraints are being forced to cut costs.

UNC's Department of Housing and Residential Education pays its employees through student housing fees and is thus not subject to staff hiring restrictions. But Director Larry Hicks said the department is trimming its budget nonetheless.

It's not like we're immune"" Hicks said. We've cut back on our capital projects.

""I think it's a tough situation all around.""



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.