Yesterday, kicked off State Employee Appreciation Week, and I want to thank you all for serving the people of Michigan with dedication and the highest level of professionalism.  You are among the most committed public servants in the nation.

In recognition of you and the work that you do, I know many of your respective departments have events on tap this week and I encourage you to participate in them.  I also encourage you to visit our new EMPLOYEE Connect Web site - a one stop shop for employee information - designed just for you:  http://connect.michigan.gov

This next part of my message is difficult for me to deliver, and I will admit that the timing - during a week designated as State Employee Appreciation Week - could not be worse.  But there simply is no way to sugarcoat what I am about to say about the state's financial situation.      
 
Today I will present the House and Senate Appropriations Committees an Executive Order to reduce the state budget in the current year by more than $300 million.  Believe me, we don't want to make these cuts; unfortunately, we have to.  In the first three months of this year, revenues were down far below what were conservative estimates.  And in fact, when the Revenue Estimating Conference meets on May 15, those numbers could be down more than a billion dollars.

What this means is that it is going to be a difficult time in Michigan for citizens as well as state employees.  While things will get better, it is going to take time.  And we will make every effort to keep you informed of decisions that affect you in the weeks and months to come.  

In closing, let me say as I have before, how grateful I am for your service and your commitment to the citizens of Michigan.  It means a great deal given the challenging times we find ourselves in.

Sincerely,

Jennifer M. Granholm
Governor