LIOs to close on Friday afternoons

The state’s 22 Legislative Information Offices will now be closed on Friday afternoons as a cost-cutting measure when the Legislature is not in session.

Juneau radio station KTOO reports (http://bit.ly/2cbES6v) the closing of the offices will save nearly $300,000. The closures began Sept. 2 after the Legislature’s in-house administrative council voted 9-1 on Sept. 1.

Staff members in the remote offices facilitate teleconferencing so residents can participate in legislative meetings. They also serve as a contact for state government and sometimes even process applications for the state’s oil wealth fund checks. The cuts come as the state looks for ways to close a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

- Associated Press