DNR official details job cuts in budget request

MADISON, Wis. (AP) --A state Department of Natural Resources official is shedding more light on the 9.5 positions the agency wants to eliminate in the next state budget.

Gov. Scott Walker's administration released state agencies' 2017-19 budget requests Friday. The DNR's requests ask for permission to eliminate 9.5 employees but offers no details on who they are or on their duties.

DNR spokesman James Dick says the positions are federally funded four-year project positions that are coming to the end of their terms.

He says their duties included managing internet content for the Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater, measure lake water quality and vegetation and working on Great Lakes habitat and restoration projects.

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) --The state Department of Natural Resources wants to cut 9.5 positions in the next state budget.

Gov. Scott Walker's administration released state agencies' 2017-19 budget requests Friday. The DNR's plan calls for eliminating 9.5 employees. The request offers no details on the employees' duties.

Agency spokesman James Dick says the positions are federally funded four-year project positions that are coming to the end of their terms. He didn't immediately respond to an email asking about the employees' duties.

Overall, the DNR asked Walker for $1.1 billion over the next two years. That's down nearly $26 million compared from what the agency got in the 2015-17 state budget. The agency asked for less money for its conservation, environmental and clean water funds.