Many state government offices will be closed Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, the second of four closure days in 2009, to help keep the state budget balanced during the economic recession. State offices also will be closed Monday in observance of Columbus Day.
State driver's license offices, the Department of Public Health and Environment's vital records office, state history museums, and administrative offices for executive branch departments will be among the facilities closed Friday, with about 15,500 employees on unpaid furlough.
State parks will be open Friday (except for visitor centers), as will Division of Wildlife service centers. State troopers will be patrolling the highways. The Department of Transportation's
The first closure day was Sept. 8, with two additional days scheduled for Nov. 27 and Dec. 31. The combined savings for all four closure days is $13.6 million.
Over the past year, the global recession has forced Gov. Ritter and lawmakers to close budget shortfalls of nearly $2 billion, including $320 million in September, with another $240 million budget gap to be closed this month.
