Layoffs Won’t Hit Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Office After All

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards' office won't be laying off staff after all.

Earlier this month, some employees in the office had received layoff notifications. But on Tuesday, Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said a different approach has been taken to reduce costs to cope with a $703,000 cut for the budget year that began July 1.

Seven vacant jobs won't be filled. Contracts for legal and technology services are being reduced. And supplies and other expenses will be lessened instead of sending out pink slips.

The governor's office says existing staff will take on greater responsibilities, but services performed by the office won't be reduced.

Agencies across state government have been hit with cuts to balance this year's budget.