From the Northwest Indiana Times:
State agencies meeting or beating performance targets will be permitted to spend nearly their full appropriations under a management plan announced Monday by Gov. Mike Pence.
The Republican told agency leaders that instead of being required to return 3 percent of their budgets to the state's general fund during the 2014 budget year, which starts July 1, 2013, agencies that hit or exceed performance goals will get quarterly "reserve relief" of up to 0.5 percent.
"State government should fund excellence in every regard, and Hoosier taxpayers should hold their government accountable for the services it provides," Pence said. "The strategies announced today in our performance-based management agenda are critical to achieving this goal and propelling Indiana from reform to results."
The governor and Office of Management and Budget officials recently have met with the 22 cabinet-level agency leaders to set "key performance indicators."
Fully 57 percent of the indicators are new or more stringent than agency goals under former Gov. Mitch Daniels, according to OMB Director Chris Atkins.
The performance standards include:
• Department of Child Services, reducing the number of children experiencing maltreatment.
• State Department of Health, cutting the infant mortality rate.
• Department of Correction, ensuring the most serious offenders serve the longest prison terms.
Other agencies, such as the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Family and Social Services Administration and Department of Transportation, are expected to cut their costs, reduce wait times or boost Hoosier job prospects.
Starting in January, OMB will measure improvement or decline on the indicators to determine whether each agency has earned reserve relief.
Altogether, state agencies may get back up to $9 million to fund one-time technology investments, employee bonuses or training programs.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/pence-ties-state-agency-budgets-to-performance/article_3380fa19-7af5-55c3-b67f-1213c9968fbc.html
