Governor Steve Beshear Puts State Airplanes Up For Sale To Help Budget Woes.
Ky. governor selling planes to help budget woes
By ROGER ALFORD
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- In a pitch befitting of a professional salesman, Gov. Steve Beshear put up two well-maintained airplanes for sale Wednesday in a move to help the cash-strapped state government.
After the sale, the state will still have five planes and eight helicopters, primarily used for law enforcement.
Beshear told reporters the decision to sell the planes came after a yearlong review to find ways to make state government more efficient - an important effort in an economy that has caused government revenues to plummet by more than $1 billion over the past three years.
The planes - a 1975 twin-engine Piper Navajo and a 1967 single-engine Cessna Skyhawk - will be offered for sale on eBay, the online auction site.
"They're well-maintained aircraft, as are all of our aircraft," the governor said. "The age does not matter as much as the maintenance of them, and we've got excellent maintenance crews that take good care of them. ... They're in very good condition."
The Navajo, purchased by the state as surplus property in 1997, had been used by the Kentucky State Police. The Cessna, previously operated by Somerset Community College, was acquired through surplus in 1998.
"I'm confident we can do without these planes while making a little money and saving the more than $63,000 a year in costs to maintain and insure these two aircraft," Beshear said.
Beshear said the state generated $4.3 million last year by selling surplus real estate and $3.3 million by selling surplus personal property.
"It's similar, quite honestly, to what families are doing every day, cleaning out closets of stuff they don't need and holding yard sales or selling the old boat they don't use any more and no longer want to pay to insure," he said.
Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock said in a statement that overall use of state planes has declined during the Beshear administration.
"We believe the Navajo and the Cessna can be sold without adversely affecting the mission of the Department of Aviation," he said.
The move is part of what Beshear dubbed the "Smart Government Initiative," looking for savings in every realm of state government.
Last year, the Beshear administration saved more than $900,000 by renegotiating leases with private landlords and an additional $1.1 million by reducing the number of state-owned vehicles and by selling some as surplus.
By ROGER ALFORD
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- In a pitch befitting of a professional salesman, Gov. Steve Beshear put up two well-maintained airplanes for sale Wednesday in a move to help the cash-strapped state government.
After the sale, the state will still have five planes and eight helicopters, primarily used for law enforcement.
Beshear told reporters the decision to sell the planes came after a yearlong review to find ways to make state government more efficient - an important effort in an economy that has caused government revenues to plummet by more than $1 billion over the past three years.
The planes - a 1975 twin-engine Piper Navajo and a 1967 single-engine Cessna Skyhawk - will be offered for sale on eBay, the online auction site.
"They're well-maintained aircraft, as are all of our aircraft," the governor said. "The age does not matter as much as the maintenance of them, and we've got excellent maintenance crews that take good care of them. ... They're in very good condition."
The Navajo, purchased by the state as surplus property in 1997, had been used by the Kentucky State Police. The Cessna, previously operated by Somerset Community College, was acquired through surplus in 1998.
"I'm confident we can do without these planes while making a little money and saving the more than $63,000 a year in costs to maintain and insure these two aircraft," Beshear said.
Beshear said the state generated $4.3 million last year by selling surplus real estate and $3.3 million by selling surplus personal property.
"It's similar, quite honestly, to what families are doing every day, cleaning out closets of stuff they don't need and holding yard sales or selling the old boat they don't use any more and no longer want to pay to insure," he said.
Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock said in a statement that overall use of state planes has declined during the Beshear administration.
"We believe the Navajo and the Cessna can be sold without adversely affecting the mission of the Department of Aviation," he said.
The move is part of what Beshear dubbed the "Smart Government Initiative," looking for savings in every realm of state government.
Last year, the Beshear administration saved more than $900,000 by renegotiating leases with private landlords and an additional $1.1 million by reducing the number of state-owned vehicles and by selling some as surplus.
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